Demographic Data
The paper will study Baltimore City, highlighting statistics such as age, income, marriage rates, and other population demographics. The total population of Baltimore City, as per the 2022 census, is 585708 (United et al. Bureau, n.d). The population’s median age is 36 years, with the highest population being between 30 and 39 (. Regarding education, most people in the city are high school graduates or higher, with those aged between 25 years and above representing the highest population with these qualifications. 87% of the population had high school graduates or higher grades, 34.9% had bachelor’s degrees or higher, and 13% had no degrees.
According to the 2022 US census, the median household income is $55,198, whereas the per capita income is $37,845. Regarding annual household income, 44% of the population earns less than $50k, while only 8% earn more than $200,000. Also, 58% of the population drove to work, 13% used public transport, 13% worked at home, and 6% walked to their workstations. By sex, 54% and 50% of men and women have never married, respectively. However, 33% of men and 29% of women are currently married, whereas 10% of men and 12% of women were divorced. The US Census Bureau also shows that the birth rate in the city is 13.01, and the death rate is 12.79. The unemployment rate is 4%, which has increased from 2.30% in 2023.
Social Problem
One social problem affecting the people of Baltimore City, especially the south, is food deserts. Food deserts are locations where the residents lack or have inadequate options to secure healthy, affordable foods. The USDA further describes food deserts as low-income tracts where many residents cannot easily access large grocery stores or supermarkets (Story Maps, 2023). Communities that have no access to quality foods are likely to suffer from illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Among the ways the US Department of Agriculture identifies food deserts is by searching for the population demographics of a place. In Baltimore City, most grocery stores are concentrated in the north-central places where the city’s more developed, prosperous, and densely populated areas are located. A quarter of the Baltimore City population is in food desert areas where residents do not have adequate resources to purchase quality, healthy foods (Zhu, 2022). Other reports also show that 20 percent of the population is affected by food deserts as they live far away from supermarkets and lack transportation to these locations. This includes people in Cherry Hill, among the southernmost neighborhoods (Gomes, 2021).
Historical Overview and Literature Review
One of the causes of the food desert problem in southern Baltimore and other places within the city is the need for more infrastructure and transportation. The government has yet to consider developing the low-income neighborhoods in the city, which has resulted in poor roads that limit people’s means of transport to the distant-away supermarkets and grocery stores. This can be explained by the fact that since the 1970s, Baltimore transitioned into having more African Americans who are among the minority communities within the country (Arnold-Garza & Gadsby, 2017). In the 2022 census, African Americans are the majority population in the county, indicating that marginalization and inequality policies have played a significant role in increasing food deserts in the city.
Besides the census reports, literature has confirmed that desert foods are located in cities with higher poverty rates and predominantly Hispanic or African American neighborhoods (Chavis et al., 2020). Healthy foods in poor and minority neighborhoods and places where people are less educated are usually less accessible. Childs & Lewis (2012) also explored the problem of food deserts in southern Baltimore, focusing on the Cherry Hill community. The study results showed that the city’s physical and constructed environment characteristics contributed to the food deserts. As one of the city’s suburban regions, the Cherry Hill infrastructure has made it difficult for people to access nutritious foods, regardless of their income statuses.
Further research like that of Biehl et al. (2017) has also shown that food insecurity and lack of access affected the ability of the city to develop a resilient system that will help the residents have more food available throughout the city. Therefore, the problem of food deserts has remained since the policymakers have faced significant challenges like food insecurity when attempting to address it. Additionally, the kind of food suppliers in the city have contributed to unhealthy foods. In their study, Mui et al. (2015) found two types of suppliers in Baltimore City: those distributing unhealthy foods and others offering healthy foods to the residents. Thus, the low-income residents within the city are likely to purchase unhealthy meals since they are considered affordable. In their study, Hager et al. (2017) sought to determine the relationship between living in food deserts and the chances of consuming deserts or snacks. The study also determined whether neighborhood-level socioeconomic status contributed to this relationship. The results showed that girls residing in low socioeconomic neighborhoods are likely to consume unhealthy foods like snacks and fruits or vegetables that are not fresh. From the study, it is evident that low socioeconomic status correlated with consumption of unhealthy foods.
A recent study has helped demonstrate the consequences of Baltimore City food deserts and food insecurity. The study by Mmari et al. (2019) reported that youths, especially girls, engage in risky behaviors such as prostitution to get money for quality food. Boys, on the other hand, engaged in stealing or selling drugs to obtain money and quality food. This indicates the social effects of food deserts and how low-income neighborhoods have affected adolescents and future generations. Nevertheless, there are various ways of improving the situation in Baltimore City. Colson-Fearon et al. (2022) found that urban agricultural practices, such as using community farms for agriculture, help establish social capital, educate the community, and inform the members on healthy eating habits. Community agriculture will also help distribute and make affordable food available.
References
Arnold-Garza, S., & Gadsby, J. (2017). Social justice and Baltimore: A brief history. College & Research Libraries News, 78(1), 22-31.
Biehl, E., Buzogany, S., Huang, A., Chodur, G., & Neff, R. (2017). Baltimore food system resilience advisory report. Baltimore (MD): Baltimore Office of Sustainability & Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
Chavis, C., Jones, A., & Center, E. (2020). Understanding Access to Grocery Stores in Food Deserts in Baltimore City. Morgan State University.
Childs, J., & Lewis, L. R. (2012). Food deserts and a southwest community of Baltimore City. Food, Culture & Society, 15(3), 395–414.
Colson-Fearon, B., & Versey, H. S. (2022). Urban agriculture as a means to food sovereignty? A case study of Baltimore City residents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 1–16.
Gomes, I. (2021 June 18). Many in Baltimore’s struggling Cherry Hill enclave could have gone hungry amid COVID. However, a small band of neighborhood activists stepped up. The Baltimore Sun.https://www.baltimoresun.com/2021/06/18/many-in-baltimores-struggling-cherry-hill-enclave-could-have-gone-hungry-amid-covid-but-a-small-band-of-neighborhood-activists-stepped-up/.
Hager, E. R., Cockerham, A., O’Reilly, N., Harrington, D., Harding, J., Hurley, K. M., & Black, M. M. (2017). Food swamps and food deserts in Baltimore City, MD, USA: associations with dietary behaviors among urban adolescent girls. Public Health Nutrition, 20(14), 2598–2607.
Mmari, K., Offiong, A., Gross, S., & Mendelson, T. (2019). How adolescents cope with food insecurity in Baltimore City: an exploratory study. Public Health Nutrition, 22(12), 2260–2267.
Mui, Y., Lee, B. Y., Adam, A., Kharmats, A. Y., Budd, N., Nau, C., & Gittelsohn, J. (2015). Healthy versus unhealthy suppliers in food desert neighborhoods: A network analysis of corner stores’ food supplier networks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(12), 15058-15074.
Story Maps. (2023 February 3). Food Deserts and Poverty in Baltimore, MD. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b4b99121a96f4c828aa3a5f63198845e.
United States Census Bureau. (n.d). Baltimore City, Maryland. https://data.census.gov/all?q=Baltimore%20city,%20Maryland.
Zhu, A. (2022 November 17). We went shopping in a food desert where there was little access to healthy food. Here is what we found. The Baltimore Banner. https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/culture/food-drink/food-desert-grocery-shopping-H3LPQOZDARD6VNVIXSZET5OEUU/.
write