Addressing Child Food Insecurity in Cleveland County, North Carolina Through Zoning Ordinances

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are conditions in which people live, work, and interact that affect their health (World Health Organization, 2021). Very low food security is a SDOH described as having disrupted or reduced food intake due to the lack of money or other resources (Economic Research Services (ERS), 2020). In 2019, the prevalence of food insecurity in children in Cleveland County, NC, was 23.2%, which is 58.9% higher than the national average (Powell, 2021). The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can help reduce food insecurity in young children, but there are few WIC-approved establishments in Cleveland County (North Carolina Division of Public Health, n.d.). The proposed policy aims to combat food insecurity in children aged 0-5 years in Cleveland County, NC by increasing access to WIC-approved vendors through implementing a zoning ordinance like Minneapolis, MN’s Staple Foods Ordinance.Master of Public Healt