Date of Degree

12-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Nutrition

Advisor

Beth Senne-Duff

Advisor

Neeta Singh

Advisor

Chris Babis

Abstract

A variety of different methods have been used to analyze food deserts. One method, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), is particularly useful when trying to better visualize the impact an issue has on a region. GIS is a method of mapping which can be used to map food deserts or other social or medical issues, which allows for a better visualization of which regions are most impacted by such issues. This study used GIS to map all grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets, food pantries, WIC clinics, and Mobile Mercados in San Antonio, Texas to determine whether they were within walking distance, defined as ≤ 0.5 miles and ≤ 1 mile, of the bus stops. This was accomplished by placing a half-mile and one-mile buffer region around each bus stop and determining which location of interest fell within the buffer. It was found that the majority of the bus stops were within walking distance of the locations of interest, 95.93% in the half-mile buffer and 97.58% in the one-mile buffer. This indicates that public transportation is likely not a factor affecting the obesity rates in San Antonio, TX meaning that other factors such as socioeconomic status may have a larger impact.

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