SVMC Community Health Needs Assessment 2021 - Catalog - Page 39
38 | P a g e
As with all public health challenges, food insecurity is predicated upon a number of factors, including but
not limited to:
• proximity to a grocery store (the accessibility of food)
• provision of supplemental assistance for food purchase (the affordability of food)
• food preference and nutrition education
• household employment status and income
• disability status and mobility.38
The County Health Rankings and Roadmaps have combined two of the largest predictors of food
security, proximity to a grocery store and household income, to create a “Food Environment Index.” The
index is scored out of ten possible points, with zero being the worst and ten being the best.
Food Environment Index39
Survey Respondent Quote:
County
Bennington County
Index Score State
8.6
Vermont 8.6
Windham County
8.0
Berkshire County
8.4
Washington County 8.4
Rensselaer County
Massachusetts 9.3
New York 9.1
8.2
“My social status makes it harder
for me to live a healthier life.
Lower income= less chances to
purchase what I wanted to for
my boys to really eat.””
Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supports the food budgets of
low-income families and is the largest food assistance program in the US. Funding support is contingent
upon gross household income. Though not all eligible households participate in SNAP, participation rates
closely mirror food insecurity rates within SVMC’s service area.
SNAP Participation40
County
Percentage of population participating in SNAP State
Bennington County
14.1%
Windham County
16.4%
Berkshire County
13.3%
Washington County 13.3%
Rensselaer County
Vermont 11.3%
Massachusetts 11.7%
New York 14.7%
10.5%
38
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Healthy People 2020: Food Insecurity.
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/foodinsecurity. Last updated June 23, 2021.
39 Food Environment Index: A diet and exercise measure. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. University of Wisconsin
Population Health Institute: School of Medicine and Public Health with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
2021 County Health Rankings using data from 2015 and 2018. https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/
40 Food Stamps/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): American Community Survey. United States Census
Bureau. ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, S2201.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
Community Health Needs Assessment 2021