title: Food deserts in Leon County, FL: disparate distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-accepting stores by neighborhood characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine whether neighborhood characteristics of racial composition, income, and rurality were related to distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-accepting stores in Leon County, Florida.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional; neighborhood and food store data collected in 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight census tracts as proxy of neighborhoods in Leon County, Florida. All stores and SNAP-accepting stores were identified from a commercial business directory and a United States Department of Agriculture SNAP-accepting store list, respectively (n = 288).
  
  
  METHODS
  Proportion of SNAP-accepting stores across neighborhoods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive statistics to describe distribution of SNAP-accepting stores by neighborhood characteristics. Proportions of SNAP-accepting stores were compared by neighborhood characteristics with Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 288 available stores, 45.1% accepted SNAP benefits. Of the 48 neighborhoods, 16.7% had no SNAP-accepting stores. Proportions of SNAP-accepting grocery stores were significantly different by neighborhood racial composition and income. Primarily black neighborhoods did not have any supermarkets. Results were mixed with regard to distribution of food stores and SNAP-accepting stores by neighborhood racial composition, income, and rurality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests disparities in distribution of SNAP-accepting stores across neighborhood characteristics of racial composition, income, and rurality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rigby
authors.forename: Angela F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Hwahwan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Betterley
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurtz
authors.forename: Jung Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005431:Florida; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011632:Public Assistance; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric