Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC.
Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC.
J Nutr Educ Behav. 2022 Oct;54(10):957-963. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2022.05.008. Epub 2022 Aug 18.
Examine characteristics of pandemic meal site (n = 602) location and meals served per site in Maryland, Spring 2020, following federal/state waivers for local meal site placement decision-making.
Using geographic information systems, we connected meal sites to census tract-level data and generated service areas from sites and distances from population-weighted census tract centroids to the closest pandemic meal site. Regression analysis determined associations of census tract pandemic meal site count and meals served per site with socioeconomic and demographic variables.
Census tracts with more meal sites were urban (P < 0.001), food deserts (P < 0.001), and had higher percentages of children in poverty (P < 0.001). Sites serving fewer meals were in food deserts (P < 0.001) and areas with more children in poverty (P < 0.001).
Waivers allowing local meal site placement decision-making supported meal sites in high-need areas. Geospatial approaches could optimize site locations to ensure maximum reach to populations in need. Additional supports may be needed to ensure children in poverty areas receive meals distributed at these sites.
研究马里兰州 2020 年春季在联邦/州放宽对当地用餐点选址决策的豁免后，大流行用餐点（n=602）的位置和每个地点供应的餐食的特征。
我们使用地理信息系统将用餐点与普查区层面的数据联系起来，并从各地点生成服务区域，以及从人口加权普查区质心到最近的大流行用餐点的距离。回归分析确定了普查区大流行用餐点数量和每个地点供应的餐食与社会经济和人口统计学变量的关联。
用餐点较多的普查区为城市（P < 0.001）、食物荒漠（P < 0.001），贫困儿童比例较高（P < 0.001）。提供餐食较少的地点位于食物荒漠（P < 0.001）和贫困儿童比例较高的地区（P < 0.001）。
允许当地用餐点选址决策的豁免支持了高需求地区的用餐点。地理空间方法可以优化地点位置，以确保最大程度地覆盖有需要的人群。可能需要额外的支持，以确保贫困地区的儿童能够收到在这些地点分发的餐食。
