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Objective  The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between urban food deserts and frequency and obstetric outcomes related to gestational diabetes. Study Design  We conducted a retrospective cohort study of singleton births in Chicago from 2010 to 2014. Birth certificate data were analyzed and geomapped by census tract. Census tracts were categorized as "food deserts" according to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas. The primary outcome was frequency of gestational diabetes. Secondary outcomes were assessed among women with gestational diabetes and their neonates. Results  Of the 191,947 eligible women, 8,709 (4.5%) were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Those in food deserts were more likely to be younger, obese, minority race/ethnicity, and multiparous. Women in food deserts were less likely to develop gestational diabetes (3.8 vs. 4.8%, p  < 0.01; adjusted odds ratio 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.86–0.96). Women with gestational diabetes did not experience worse maternal and neonatal outcomes after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusion  In contrast to prior work, women in Chicago living within food deserts were less likely to develop gestational diabetes and did not experience poorer outcomes, suggesting environmental factors other than food access contribute to perinatal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who live in rural food deserts have increased needs for school-based interventions aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable intake. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ understanding of students’ food access, interest in school gardens, and perceived barriers for incorporating school gardens in food desert areas. Teachers (n=106) at six rural elementary schools in southern Illinois were surveyed. Results indicated interest in school gardening was highest among younger teachers (20-30 years) and those who taught social science courses. Awareness of food access for their students was prevalent among the teachers. Three factors emerged as dimensional barriers to implement a school garden: Teacher Preparedness, School Resources, and Practical Issues. Lack of adequate time, supplies, funding, and growing season were identified as significant barriers. Recommendations included identifying funding sources for school gardens, focusing on integrating school gardens as an interdisciplinary activity in the curriculum, and targeting younger teachers as advocates for the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of food sovereignty has its roots primarily in the response of small producers in developing countries to decreasing levels of control over land, production practices, and food access. While the concerns of urban Chicagoans struggling with low food access may seem far from these issues, the authors believe that the ideas associated with food sovereignty will lead to the construction of solutions to what is often called the 'food desert' issue that serve and empower communities in ways that less democratic solutions do not. In Chicago and elsewhere, residents and activists often see and experience racial and economic inequalities through the variety of stores and other food access sites available in their community. The connections between food access, respect, and activism are first considered through a set of statements of Chicagoans living in food access poor areas. We will then discuss these connections through the work and philosophy of activists in Chicago centered in food sovereignty and food justice. Particular focus will be placed on Growing Power, an urban food production, distribution, and learning organization working primarily in Milwaukee and Chicago, and Healthy South Chicago, a community coalition focused on health issues in a working class area of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]