May 28, 2025
Research highlight: Neighborhood Gentrification & Food Insecurity
Ethan Siu Leung Cheung, Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, examined the impact of neighborhood gentrification on food insecurity among older adults, as well as the role neighborhood environmental factors — social cohesion, public transportation, and food environment — play in increasing or decrease the risk of insecurity.
Cheung used the number of public bus stops and subway stations in the neighborhood as a proxy for older adults’ access to public transportation,. He used spatial data from the National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA) to show how access to public transit influences food security among elderly residents in changing neighborhoods.
The results confirm that older adults in gentrifying neighborhoods experienced a greater risk of food insecurity compared to moderate- to high-income neighborhoods, whereas the risk was significantly lower when compared with those living in low-income neighborhoods. The study highlights the importance of gentrification in determining late-life food insecurity and identifies possible mechanisms with policy and social service implications to reduce the risk of food insecurity in urban areas.