Assessing the Correlation between Diabetes in relation to Diet and Convenience in Greensboro Food Desert

Food deserts are defined as being low-income areas where at least 33 percent of the population lives more than one mile away from a grocery store. Greensboro has 17 food deserts, but this study covers the food desert on the east side of Greensboro by N.C. A&T State University. Food deserts have a higher incidence of chronic illnesses like diabetes which has been associated with low-income populations. This research was done to investigate how food preferences relate to diabetes prevalence. Data was collected using a survey and convenience sampling at community events within Cottage Gardens, yielding a sample size of 37 households for the research. Results from the surveys indicate the presence of diabetes in 32.4% of households. We also analyzed how participants make food choices. We found that 16.2% make food choices based on taste; whereas 24.3% chose whatever was easiest or most convenient. We did not find a relationship between food choice preferences and the prevalence of diabetes based on chi-square analysis. However, food found in food deserts are known to be high in sodium, sugar, and fat because of the type of food present in convenience stores. It is possible that increasing access to cheap fruits and vegetables could increase healthy eating habits in this community and potentially impact the incidence of chronic disease