Widener discusses barriers to accessing healthy foods

UTTRI associated faculty Professor Michael J. Widener, Canada Research Chair in Transportation and Health, talks about food environments and barriers that affect our access to healthy food in “Why food access is about more than location,” Canada’s National Observer, March 22, 2021.

The article discusses the relocation of the sole large supermarket in downtown Prince George, B.C. Many there are concerned about residents who will either have to travel farther to buy groceries at the same prices with the same variety and choice, or use smaller corner stores where prices are higher and choices more limited.

Widener, whose research is primarily focused on how health and healthy behaviours are affected by transportation systems in cities, says that retail store location is just one possible barrier to accessing healthy food. “Money,” he says, “is probably the biggest barrier, because money buys you space and time.”

“Money gives you access to a vehicle, it gives you the ability to pay for a babysitter … to spend time on accessing groceries and then subsequently, using that time to do things like making a meal,” Widener explained. “It gives you a lot of flexibility.”

Widener is a collaborating researcher on the Food Activities, Socioeconomics, Transportation, and Time (FASTT) Research Study, an exploration of how time pressure, transportation options, and divisions of household labour impact access to food and dietary behaviours.