Is Diabetes a Problem in Bedford Stuyvesant?

Of the 34 UHF designated neighborhoods in the 5

boroughs, Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights ranked 5th highest in percentage of population

who have ever had diabetes.

Does Access to Fresh Produce Have Anything to do With Obesity and Diabetes?

In some neighborhoods, over 75% of the population lives within a 5 minute walk of fresh produce. In Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights, only 45% of the population does.

What Does Bed-Stuy Look Like?

Unfortunately the most comprehensive demographic information comes from the census

and we are 10 years out from the most recent census, which was 2000. To help give us a picture

of the demographics of our study area, Bedford Stuyvesant, I have compared some of the stats of

Community District 3 in which Bed-Stuy lies, to Community District 2, which sits just to the west.

Population:

• TOTAL POPULATION of CD3 in 2000-143,867

• TOTAL POPULATION of CD2 in 2000-98,620

Income:CD3-• The two poorest census tracts in CD3 had median household

incomes in 2000 of $10,500 (census tract 0241) and $11,822 (census tract 0255).

• The two wealthiest census tracts in CD3 had median household incomes in 2000 of $38,099 (census tract 0191) and $38,438 (census tract 028501).

CD2-• The two poorest census tracts in CD2 had median household

incomes of $9,876 (census tract 0023) and $11,641 (census tract 0029.01).

• The two wealthiest census tracts in CD2 had median household incomes of $83,739 (census tract 0003.01) and $112,414(census

tract 0003.02).

How Does Income Relate to Availability of Fresh Produce? There is more disparity in CD2 than in CD3

(where Bed-Stuy is located), which has positive and negative effects. In terms of access to fresh food, the matter is complicated. With such high income residents, CD2 probably has no shortage of fresh produce, whether or not the lower income residents can afford it is another matter. In CD3, there has been a dearth of options in terms of fresh food. The lower-income characteristic of the neighborhood is quite possibly one reason.

Public Assistance:

CD3 (Which Bed-Stuy is a part of)-• 16% of the population received AFDC or Home

relief Public Assistance.• 7.3% of the population received SSI.• 9.4% received Medicaid only.

CD2-

• 7.52% of the population received AFDC or Home Relief Public Assistance.

• 4.54% of the population received SSI.

• 5.3% of the population received Medicaid only.

• In CD3 there are 33 Soup kitchens/Food pantries.

There are 10 Soup kitchens/Food pantries in CD2.

The Racial Composition is Changing

Community Spaces: Community Gardens in Bed Stuy-

What role can community gardens play in the long-term food access picture?

Schools in Bed Stuy-

Schools will play a key role in the Healthy Bodega program and the work beyond. Please see the Appendix for a full list of schools. I have highlighted here schools that, judging from their title, are related

either to the arts, leadership, or communication.

LEADERSHIP PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL 600

Lafayette Ave - 3 Fl MS 143 PERFORMING & FINE ARTS 800 Gates Ave URBAN ASSEMBLY ACADEMY OF BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 141 Macon St URBAN ASSEMBLY SCHOOL FOR URBAN ENVIRONMENT 70 Tompkins Ave

ACORN HIGH SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE 1396 Broadway

BROOKLYN COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION, ARTS, AND MEDIA 300 Willoughby Ave

Mapping the Produce

“Predominantly black zip codes have about half the number of chain supermarkets as predominantly white zip codes, and predominantly Latino areas have only a third as many." - Amanda

Shaffer, The Persistence of L.A.’s Grocery Gap: The Need for a New Food Policy and Approach to Market Development, Center for Food and Justice, Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, Occidental College, Los Angeles, 2002.

Supermarkets in Bed-Stuy

We’ve begun to catalogue all the supermarkets in the area and the participating Bodegas

• http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=118270396042515152678.00047faf205cc9c9d68c3

• http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=118270396042515152678.00047faf62049db106b56