Availability of Low-Fat Milk and Produce in Small and Mid-Sized Grocery Stores After 2014 WIC Final Rule Changes, Tennessee

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The 18 stores participating in this study are located in the center and lower right quadrant of Nashville/Davidson County. Food deserts tend to be located in these same areas. The 3-mile radial buffer zones show that most stores cover most food deserts, but a few food deserts in the upper right quadrant are not covered. Food deserts scores were grouped into 10 categories, with higher scores indicating a food desert. Most of the census tracts with the lowest scores were located in the mid-southern portion of the county.

Figure.
Location of 18 sampled WIC stores, by census-tract food desert score, Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee. Each store is surrounded by a 3-mile-radial buffer. Food desert scores, ranging from −37 to 60, were grouped into 10 categories. The higher the score, the greater the likelihood of a food desert; a score of 20 or above indicates a food desert. The food desert score was created by summing 36 z
scores of variables that measure distance to grocery store, distance to bus stops, social characteristics and poverty, race/ethnicity, chronic disease prevalence, and access to transportation (23). Food desert scores cannot be computed for census tracts that have no residential parcels; these tracts are shown in white.

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