Assessing the role of access and price on the consumption of fruits and vegetables across New York City using agent-based modeling
Authored by Youfa Wang, Yan Li, Donglan Zhang, Jose A Pagan, Janani R Thapa, Kumbirai Madondo, Stella Yi, Elisa Fisher, Kerry Griffin, Bian Liu
Date Published: 2018
DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.10.014
Sponsors:
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Platforms:
Java
Model Documentation:
Other Narrative
Mathematical description
Model Code URLs:
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Abstract
Most residents in New York City (NYC) do not consume sufficient fruits
and vegetables every day. Difficulties with access and high prices of
fruits and vegetables in some neighborhoods contribute to different
consumption patterns across NYC neighborhoods. We developed an
agent-based model (ABM) to predict dietary behaviors of individuals at
the borough and neighborhood levels. Model parameters were estimated
from the 2014 NYC Community Health Survey, United States Census data,
and the literature. We simulated six hypothetical interventions designed
to improve access and reduce the price of fruits and vegetables. We
found that all interventions would lead to increases in fruit and
vegetable consumption but the results vary substantially across boroughs
and neighborhoods. For example, a 10\% increase in the number of
fruit/vegetable vendors combined with a 10\% decrease in the prices of
fruits and vegetables would lead to a median increase of 2.28\% (range:
0.65\%-4.92\%) in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, depending on
neighborhood. We also found that the impact of increasing the number of
vendors on fruit/vegetable consumption is more pronounced in unhealthier
local food environments while the impact of reducing prices on
fruits/vegetable consumption is more pronounced in neighborhoods with
low levels of education. An agent-based model of dietary behaviors that
takes into account neighborhood context has the potential to inform how
fruit/vegetable access and pricing strategies may specifically work in
tandem to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables at the local
level.
Tags
Agent-based modeling
Risk
Metaanalysis
Food
Cohort
Nutrition
Systems
science
Food policy
Urban health
Hypertension