Idea

The intuition behind my dissertation project is that a phenomenon of uncontrolled change in local environments may be harmful to health through a destabilization of food environments. For example, an area where property value is increasing due to speculation or other housing market processes may see a decrease in small food stores (most of whom carry healthy products in Spain) and an increase in supermarkets (that bring with them ultra-processed foods). Moreover, and without involving property value, increased residential turnover (flows of people going in and out of the neighborhood) may also be followed by a food store turnover, reducing ties of food stores with neighbors. Health-wise I hypothesized a very immediate and negative effect on diabetes incidence and control.

The following sections on data sources and methods give some pointers into where I obtained the data and how everything has turned out. I'm working on a few papers now that will make up the body of this dissertation:

1. Measuring Neighborhood Social and Economic Change

2. Neighborhood Social and Economic Change and Food Environment Changes in Madrid, Spain

3. Neighborhood Social and Economic Change and Diabetes Incidence in Madrid, Spain