Abstract
From a policy perspective, the presence and persistence of food deserts and the subsequent diet and health effects on those living in such areas pose a modeling conundrum. Should the deserts be the focus of attention where the modeling effort is on identifying the interactions and interdependencies across space and time that contribute to their creation, or should one focus on the consequences of lack of access to food and attempt to explore the adverse nutrition and health outcomes that can be attributed to such deserts? Attempting to address these questions requires not only different conceptual models but also different data models. To that end, we offer to compare and contrast the utility of using multilevel regression modeling vs. agent-based modeling in examining spatial disparities in health, specifically looking at how each type of model can address these aforementioned questions. The primary purpose of this chapter is to give emphasis to the value of operational thinking in model design and encourage building conceptual and data models that are more useful to policymakers when proposing policy interventions.
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Notes
- 1.
Spatial disparities in diet and health are differences in diet and health outcomes and their determinants between different groups of people, defined by geographic location (Carter-Pokras and Baquet 2002).
- 2.
Healthful food retail outlets are establishments generally known as traditional food stores, such as supermarkets, grocery stores, and specialty food stores primarily engaged in retailing a general line of food, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh and prepared meats, canned and frozen foods, dairy, and whole grain food products (USDA 2011).
- 3.
Traditional food retailers on average are able to offer lower prices for foods as compared to similar foods available in convenience stores and corner markers (Ver Ploeg et al. 2009).
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Rice, K. (2012). The Utility of Multilevel Modeling vs. Agent-Based Modeling in Examining Spatial Disparities in Diet and Health: The Case of Food Deserts. In: Desai, A. (eds) Simulation for Policy Inquiry. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1665-4_4
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