The Relationship Between Food Environments and Health Outcomes: A Case Study in Lansing, Michigan

Chronic disease, for which diet is a major risk factor, remains the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for 8 out of 10 deaths. A continually growing body of research has been looking at food environments, relating them to characteristics of residents living in those environments and impacts on health outcomes. However, most of the research has been looking at Body Mass Index or obesity as the primary health outcome of such environments. This study looks at multiple health outcomes (chronic and perceived) from the Center for Disease Control’s PLACES—Local Data for Better Health dataset for Lansing, Michigan, and assesses the corresponding food environments, specifically the prevalence of fast-food outlets and convenience stores, to assess the impacts these food environments have, either directly or indirectly, on health. We find that fast-food outlets have a direct impact on certain health outcomes, while convenience stores impact certain health outcomes indirectly through food insecurity. These findings suggest that strategically balancing such environments with healthier options in underserved areas could help improve overall health.