A community based mixed methods exploration of food access and perceptions of food access in Flint, Michigan

The purpose of this community based mixed methods study was: 1) to assess the availability, price and quality of foods within food stores in the city of Flint and the immediate 2 mile suburban area; 2) to explore the perceptions of food access by African American women from two complementary age groups who lived in Flint. As a post-industrial city, Flint, Michigan has experienced disinvestment in businesses that has partially led to the removal of large grocery stores from the city and surrounding suburban area. While engaged with a community collaborative, data were collected during a food store assessment from 273 total food stores and focus groups were conducted with two age groups of African American women. The groups of women were between the ages of 21 and 50 with children up to 18 years old, and women who were 60 years old and older. Results from the food store assessment showed that smaller food stores had significantly lower mean food availability, food price and food quality compared to larger food stores; and that suburban food stores had significantly higher mean food availability and food quality, but lower food prices compared to stores within Flint. Results also showed that as food availability and food quality declined and prices increased, the percentage of Blacks significantly increased; that as food availability and food quality increased and food price declined, the median household income significantly increased, though negligibly. Undergirded by the three most prominent dimensions of Womanist theory, 1) lived experience as criteria of meaning, 2) the use of dialogue in assessing knowledge claims and 3) the ethics of personal accountability, the focus groups showed that the women encountered multiple direct and indirect facilitators and barriers within the food environment and demonstrated variety of strengths despite adversities.