Redefining Food Access in Rural Counties of Pennsylvania
The U.S. Department of Agriculture narrowly defines food access as the percent of individuals in urban census blocks living more than one mile from a major supermarket or grocery store, and the percent in rural census blocks living more than ten miles from a major supermarket or grocery store. A comprehensive review of the literature suggests that there are many other variables that better model food access than just physical proximity to a grocery store. The goal of my research was to perform statistical analyses on a multitude of variables in order to better define food access, focusing specifically on rural counties in Pennsylvania.
I collected and cleaned multiple publicly-available datasets that included variables, such as meal cost, commute time, median income, etc. for the 67 counties of Pennsylvania. I then performed exploratory data analysis to better understand the potential relationships between variables. Using the ggmap package in R, I mapped these analyses onto the map of Pennsylvania to visualize the results.
I then performed hierarchical spatial clustering on groups of variables that were said to have an influential effect on food access according to the literature review at the start of my research. I also mapped these analyses onto the map of Pennsylvania to clearly see patterns in the data. My research suggests that food access should be defined by variables other than just physical distance from a grocery store, which did little to explain food access/insecurity in the counties of Pennsylvania.