To correct the health disparities facing communities within the city of Tampa, we have to be able to identify where the communities in need are, what their specific needs are, and where the opportunities for us to help are.

A great resource for preliminary data on neighborhood statistics is the Hillsborough Interactive Map. The site allows you to sort through demographics, health statistics, government assistance records, and even FCAT scores. Addressing the needs of Hillsborough County means discovering the neighborhoods we may be missing.

The map below shows percentages of people living below the poverty line within Tampa. As you can see, the areas that are highly concentrated are in Sulphur Springs, the I-4 corridor, Tampa Heights and Ybor City.

The next map shows the homeless populations living in and around the city of Tampa. As you can see, there is a match in neighborhoods—with the highest concentration located near the I-4 corridor, followed by the Sulphur Springs, Ybor/ Palm Springs area, and the University area.

Finally, the third map shows areas of town with prevalence for low-weight births. Low birth weight is a sign of under-nutrition not only in the child, but also in the mother. Again, the highest concentrations are in Sulfur Springs, the University area, Tampa Heights and Ybor City.

Concurrent with these pockets of low income and poor health are the very same areas that have been labeled food deserts. For example, when you drive down Busch Boulevard (the University/Sulphur Springs area), the areas between Dale Mabry and 56^th street (7.7 miles) are barren, lacking sources of fresh food—there are no grocery stores on Busch Boulevard between those two streets.

It is clear that the cycle of poor health due to poverty is perpetuated by limited access to fresh foods in low-income areas of town where small business growth and adequate education are lacking. If you would like to know more about health disparities, or find organizations that seek to help, visit our blog by clicking here: Health Equity Coalition.

Sources:

Hillsborough Community Atlas

Health Equity Coalition.

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Health Disparities in Birth Outcomes

Food deserts are an overlooked area of social inequality that should be addressed as the nation looks towards fighting obesity and malnutrition in America. It is an unfortunate fact that many people in America have never heard of a food desert, know what one is, or understand how so many people in this country do not know what good nutrition means.

It is a sad and unfortunate fact that low-income families suffer due to living in non-affluent or poverty-stricken communities. Businesses don’t want to set up shop in the bad part of town and so when the crime goes up and the traffic stops coming in, they move to where they can make a profit.

In fact, studies show that people who live in less affluent neighborhoods are not likely to purchase products in national grocery store chains — and the grocery stores know this. Concurrently, there are also data to support that fast-food restaurants and stores that carry “junk food” will be more successful setting up shop in less affluent neighborhoods.

This is one of many reasons why grocery stores and produce stands are not readily accessible to families who live on “the bad side of town.” As a result of this, many families who live in these areas don’t have vehicles and have to make due with what’s around them – usually convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. These areas are known as food deserts because they offer few or no healthy food options for residents.

Studies done within Hillsborough County show that fast-food outlets are significantly more accessible than grocery stores in neighborhoods with higher proportions of lower income households.

This is obviously one source of the obesity problem in the United States. According to the World Health Organization, obesity can be linked to increased consumption of foods “that are high in fat and sugar but low in vitamins.” This can also be confirmed by the CDC.

One program that is focused on fighting the food desert problem in Hillsborough County is the Moses House; they have just received funding for their 2011 community garden project. Their focus is “to support innovative and creative programs or aspects of programs that promote healthy behavior, help create healthy environments, and enhance health care delivery, health promotion and health education.”

The Moses House helps children of low-income families in the Sulphur Springs community of Tampa. Sulphur Springs is a very densely populated area of Tampa that has also been identified as a food desert. The population in one square mile is 6,309, and the average per capita income is $10,592; 43% of the population lives below the poverty line and 98% of the children who attend Sulphur Springs Elementary receive reduced or free lunches.

To combat the lack of nutritious sources of food and food nutrition education, the Moses House started a community heritage garden where they educate the community about nutrition and gardening, and involve them in wellness activities.

According to their website these are the Moses House goals:

• To assist youth with making plant-to-food connections
• To provide the community with local access to healthful foods
• To educate youth on the role of fresh, nutritious foods in wellness
• To encourage environmental stewardship through education about the ecological and social benefits of locally grown food

The Moses House currently has a partnership with University of South Florida Applied Anthropology department in order to research the needs of the Tampa community and find solutions for meeting those needs.

But Sulphur Springs is not the only community in need. Just by doing an internet search for grocery stores in Tampa, you can actually see the lack of national grocery stores in other low-income areas like Tampa Heights, Port Tampa and Ybor City. It is important that these areas are located, clearly defined and actions are put in place to help stop the lack of accessibility of fresh produce.

Sources:
The Moses House
Children’s Defense Fund
Association of American Geographies
USF Health
World Health Organization

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Type II Diabetes: It’s not the same for Everyone

Being born in a great neighborhood with parents who are financially secure is something that not everyone is privileged to have. In fact, where you were born and how you were raised has a huge impact on how you turn out as an adult – even how healthy you may or may not be. Because there are still areas in the United States where people live in disadvantaged communities where there is little to no focus on health and education, there are still vast differences in how healthy children are as they grow up.

Although our health system has improved over the years, people all over the country suffer from death, disease and disability that could be prevented if the proper programs were put into place. There is a significant difference between the birth outcomes in these communities, as compared to birth outcomes in white communities in the U.S.

As a matter of fact, the CDC reports that the rankings for the U.S. in infant mortality are lower compared to other industrialized countries, due to the large disparities that exist among racial and ethnic communities. Here are some statistics regarding race and ethnicity, as reported by the CDC:

• Compared with white youth, black and Hispanic youth have higher prevalence of asthma, overweight, and type 2 diabetes.
• Rates of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and teen pregnancy are higher among black and Hispanic youth than among whites of the same age.
• In 2007, black youth accounted for approximately 68% of new HIV/AIDS cases among 13–19 year olds, even though they represented only 15% of the population in that age group.
• Hispanic youth experience proportionately more anxiety-related behaviors and depression than do non-Hispanic white youth.
• Among youth aged 10–19 years, American Indians have the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes of any racial/ethnic group.
• Suicide rates among American Indians/Alaska Natives aged 15–34 years are more than two times higher than the national average for that age group.

Causes

Many factors contribute to health disparities in this country. They usually relate directly to a person’s socioeconomic status. The most common are the following:

• Poverty
• Unequal access to health care
• Poor environmental conditions
• Educational inequalities
• Individual behaviors such as alcohol consumption or smoking
• Language barriers

Generally, families who are impoverished live in densely populated communities where sickness can spread quickly and easily; nutrition is poor; education is lacking; and environmental contaminants are high. These all factor into the health of a pregnant mother and in turn the health of her baby.

Education is a huge factor because an expectant mother’s lack of basic health information can influence her decisions during pregnancy—which in turn impact the health of her unborn child. A lack of education can lead to unhealthy behaviors such as poor diet; lack of physical activity; risky sexual behaviors; and use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. These behaviors are some of the leading causes of poor birth outcomes.

Environment is also a significant factor in health disparities. Whether it is a contaminated work environment, unclean home environment, or polluted community, environmental factors can negatively affect birth outcomes, causing children to be born prematurely or with a low birth weight (LBW).

The following environmental factors can affect birth outcomes:

• Tobacco smoke
• Drinking water disinfection byproducts
• Organochlorine (DDT) and organophosphate pesticides
• Exposure to lead
• Exposure to sickness
• Air or water pollutants
• Unclean living conditions

All of these things can contribute to a child’s bill of health at birth. Any one of these can cause a child to be born either prematurely or with LBW, both of which increase the infant’s for becoming ill or suffering from SIDS. They are also at significant risk for both short-term neonatal morbidity and long-term disabilities that may include the following:

• Respiratory distress syndrome
• Variable heart rate
• Cerebral ventriculomegaly
• Cerebral palsy
• Mental retardation
• Blindness
• Deafness
• Learning disabilities
• Behavioral disabilities
• Motor impairment

Prevention

The best way to combat these health disparities is to ensure that pregnant mothers have access to the proper education and prenatal care they need in order to care for themselves and their babies. This should not only include doctor’s visits and screenings, but behavior modification and education on poor lifestyle choices like these:

• Smoking
• Substance abuse
• Poor nutrition
• Lack of physical activity

Communities should advocate prenatal care for expectant mothers, especially in the first trimester. Providing a mother with information; addressing her health care needs; and implementing educational programs to teach good life decisions and promote exercise and nutrition may be the best answer to eliminate the health disparities that exist within communities all over the United States.

Sources:

United States Environmental Protection Agency

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

The World Health Organization

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Health Disparities Here at Home

Type 2 Diabetes: It’s not the Same for Everyone