Worldwide, interest in research on methods to define access to healthy food at the local level has grown, given its central connection to carrying out a healthy lifestyle. Within this research domain, papers have examined the spatial element of food access, or individual perceptions about the food environment. To date, however, no studies have provided a method for linking a validated, objective measure of the food environment with qualitative data on how people access healthy food in their community. In this study, we present a methodology for linking scores from a modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (conducted at every store in our study site of Flint, Michigan) with perceptions of the acceptability of food stores and shopping locations drawn from seven focus groups (n = 53). Spatial analysis revealed distinct patterns in visiting and avoidance of certain store types. Chain stores tended to be rated more highly, while stores in neighborhoods with more African-American or poor residents were rated less favorably and avoided more frequently. Notably, many people avoided shopping in their own neighborhoods; participants traveled an average of 3.38 miles to shop for groceries, and 60% bypassed their nearest grocery store when shopping. The utility of our work is threefold. First, we provide a methodology for linking perceived and objective definitions of food access among a small sample that could be replicated in cities across the globe. Second, we show links between perceptions of food access and objectively measured food store scores to uncover inequalities in access in our sample to illustrate potential connections. Third, we advocate for the use of such data in informing the development of a platforms that aim to make the process of accessing healthy food easier via non-food retail based interventions. Future work can replicate our methods to both uncover patterns in distinct food environments and aid in advocacy around how to best intervene in the food environment in various locales.

中文翻译：

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一种评估客观测量的食品商店得分与商店和社区好感度之间联系的方法。

在世界范围内，鉴于健康食品与健康生活方式的核心联系，人们对在地方一级定义获取健康食品的方法的研究兴趣不断增长。在这一研究领域内，论文研究了食物获取的空间因素，或个人对食物环境的看法。然而，迄今为止，还没有研究提供一种方法，将经过验证的、客观的食品环境衡量标准与人们如何在社区获取健康食品的定性数据联系起来。在这项研究中，我们提出了一种方法，将修改后的商店营养环境措施调查的分数（在我们密歇根州弗林特研究地点的每家商店进行）与来自七个焦点小组的食品商店和购物地点的可接受性看法联系起来（n = 53）。空间分析揭示了访问和避开某些商店类型的独特模式。连锁店往往获得较高的评价，而位于非裔美国人或贫困居民较多的社区的商店则受到较低的评价，并且更频繁地被避开。值得注意的是，许多人避免在自己的社区购物；参与者平均行驶 3.38 英里去购买杂货，60% 的人在购物时绕过了最近的杂货店。我们工作的效用有三个。首先，我们提供了一种方法，用于将小样本中食物获取的感知和客观定义联系起来，该方法可以在全球城市中复制。其次，我们展示了对食物获取的看法与客观测量的食品商店分数之间的联系，以揭示样本中获取食物的不平等，从而说明潜在的联系。第三，我们主张使用此类数据来为平台的开发提供信息，该平台旨在通过基于非食品零售的干预措施使获取健康食品的过程变得更加容易。未来的工作可以复制我们的方法，以揭示不同食物环境中的模式，并帮助宣传如何最好地干预不同地区的食物环境。