Transforming Food Deserts to Fight Obesity (Huffington Post)

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In a blog published by The Huffington Post, Dartmouth’s Kristy Blackwood ’14 and The Huffington Post Public Health Editor Susan Blumenthal write about the challenges facing Americans who live in “food deserts,” which they described as “areas barren of nutritious food.”

Residents who live in food deserts have limited access to grocery stores that offer nutritious food, but convenience stories and fast food restaurants are prevalent in these areas, providing easy access to unhealthy food options, write Blackwood and Blumenthal. “While the terminology may seem contradictory, too often the same communities suffer simultaneously from poor access to healthy foods and an abundance of junk foods, making healthy choices difficult for many people. Pairing efforts to bring more healthful foods to these areas with strategies that limit the consumption of junk foods is critical.”

Through the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth, Blackwood is interning at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Read the full opinion piece, published 8/27/13 by The Huffington Post.

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