The utilization of local food environments by urban seniors.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe food shopping patterns for urban seniors and measure the influence of neighborhood and individual level factors on intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Method: Between September 2005 and August 2006, 314 Black, White and Latino participants from ten Brooklyn Senior Centers were interviewed about types of produce recently purchased, satisfaction with selection, cost and quality of produce, intake of produce, and location of food store used to purchase produce.

Results: Individual level factors (race/ethnicity and age) were significantly associated with produce intake. Although environmental and distance factors did not reach statistical significance in multivariate models, living or shopping in a Black or racially mixed neighborhood was positively associated with the reported number of servings per day of fruits and vegetables. Also, a greater proportion of Blacks traveled more than a mile to do primary food shopping and most seniors do not shop within their residential census tract. Blacks and Latinos consumed less produce than Whites.

Conclusion: This study illuminates a number of important factors about the delivery of foods to urban seniors and how those seniors navigate their local environment to obtain healthy diets, measured here as intake of fruits and vegetables. The albeit small increase in servings per day associated with distance traveled to primary food stores does suggest that fruits and vegetables are not locally available and therefore presents an opportunity for policy makers and city planners to develop areas where healthy food options are convenient for consumers.