LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Researchers in several U.S. cities are discovering that low-income residents aren't entirely at fault for purchasing mostly junk and prepared fast-foods.
Studies conducted by health professionals indicate that supermarkets in poorer neighborhoods are more likely to stock Twinkies than fresh fruit and vegetables, USA Today reported Friday.
Chicago-based researcher Mari Gallagher says poor eating habits can result from a lack of supermarkets with fresh produce, combined with low car ownership, an abundance of fast-food restaurants and high-priced convenience stores.
Gallagher's firm has been studying how neighborhood layout affects health in cities including Detroit, Chicago and Louisville, Ky.
"It's very difficult for people to change their behaviors if they don't have an environment in which to make that change" said Ana Diez-Roux, a researcher at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
In Louisville, officials are working to bring about change with the establishment of a food security task force.
The group is looking at a number of strategies including offering small stores incentives to carry fresh produce and attracting farmers markets to lower-income neighborhoods.
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