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The Contribution of Urban Foodways to Health Disparities

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Abstract

How do urban food environments produce health disparities? The literature currently emphasizes the etiologic relevance of urban food deserts and their nutritional shortcomings. This paper instead examines the health relevance of foodways—the social dynamics surrounding the production, purchase, and consumption of food. We report on data from 32 photo-elicitation interviews conducted with adult residents of Philadelphia, examining distinct foodways and health concerns that play out in the most commonly discussed retail establishments: corner stores, “Stop and Go’s” (delis that also sell beer), and Chinese takeout restaurants. Corner store visits, described as a routinized element of children’s school day, were implicated in early life patterning of unsound nutritional choices. Stop and Go’s were described as a health threat because of their alcohol sales and tacit promotion of public drunkenness, coupled with accessibility to youth. Stop and Go’s and Chinese takeouts both were perceived as generators of violence in part because of on-site sales of alcohol, drug paraphernalia, and illicit drugs. Chinese takeouts also were described as symbolic reminders of African Americans’ economic exclusion and as places infused with race/ethnic tension and hostile merchant–customer interactions. Instead of viewing the food environment simply as a source of calories and nutrients, participants discussed the complex social dynamics that play out therein, raising a range of important considerations for (especially disadvantaged) urban residents’ safety, physical well-being, and mental health.

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Funding and acknowledgments

This project was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania. We thank the project’s participants and the following staff photographers and research assistants: Nora Becker, Elias Friedman, Hannah Fruchtman, Rachel X. Han, Michelle Holshue, Jeremy Kaplan, Amina Massey, Jeannette Schroeder, Liz Sullivan, Aaron Walker, Ahmed Whitt, and Janet Weiner. We also thank the reviewers for their insightful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section on Public Health, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Carolyn C. Cannuscio

  2. Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Carolyn C. Cannuscio & David A. Asch

  3. Center for Public Health Initiatives, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Carolyn C. Cannuscio & Eve E. Weiss

  4. Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    David A. Asch

  5. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    David A. Asch

  6. Health Care Management Department, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    David A. Asch

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  1. Carolyn C. Cannuscio
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  2. Eve E. Weiss
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  3. David A. Asch
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Correspondence to Carolyn C. Cannuscio.

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Cannuscio, C.C., Weiss, E.E. & Asch, D.A. The Contribution of Urban Foodways to Health Disparities. J Urban Health 87, 381–393 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-010-9441-9

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