America's Next Top EJ Model: Assessing the Role of Food Access in Environmental Justice Models

Authors

Allyson Barry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

First Advisor

Dr. Jesse Bell

Second Advisor

Dr. Harshanee Jayasekera

Date of this Version

Spring 5-13-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Environmental Studies Undergraduate Student Thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2024

Abstract

Disruptions to weather patterns and ecosystems due to climate change are a global challenge. However, previous research has found that communities of color, traditionally underprivileged communities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities are disproportionately burdened with adverse health outcomes, higher propensities of exposure to weather disasters and pollution, and well-being inequalities. The field of environmental justice (EJ) seeks to eliminate such disparities through environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Published in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) formulated the Environmental Justice Index (EJI) as a data tool to identify communities of priority in EJ efforts and the specific burdens they may face in the United States. While the EJI has been successful, it is less representative of some specific issues. This cross-sectional study aims to explore the extent to which the disproportionate burden of access to healthy food is represented in the EJI at a national scale. Using the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Access Research Atlas (FARA), Pearson correlations between the EJI and proximity to food stores were calculated to identify the merit of index expansion. There was no correlation between FARA and EJI score (r = -0.1245; p < 2.2e-16). When food access values were integrated as a new variable of the EJI, scores shifted by up to 6.29%, indicating higher injustice, and decreased others by 3.97%. In rural communities, census tracts with the greatest increase in EJI score had a high prevalence of estimated cancer and high blood pressure rates, populations over the age of 65, and individuals with a disability. The characterization of impacted communities suggests that food access values can improve the detection of social and health vulnerabilities facing rural communities when used within the EJI.