Społeczno-przestrzenne uwarunkowania postrzegania pustyń żywnościowych a rzeczywisty dostęp do zdrowej żywności – podejście interdyscyplinarne
Socio-spatial determinants of food desert perception versus actual access to healthy food – an interdisciplinary approach

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to identify food deserts in the Greater Poland region by examining both the objective and subjective dimensions of access to healthy food. The study applies an interdisciplinary approach that integrates spatial methods (GIS) with survey data analysis. Ordered logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing perceived access to healthy food. The spatial analysis identified 28 areas that meet the criteria of potential food deserts; however, based on respondents’ postal codes, none of the surveyed individuals lived in locations that fulfilled the spatial definition of a food desert. The survey revealed substantial variation in perceived access: distance to a store, travel time, age, and gender were significant limiting factors, whereas frequent purchases from local vendors, urban residence, and a wide product assortment improved perceived access. The findings confirm the multidimensional nature of food deserts and demonstrate that perceived access does not necessarily correspond with objective spatial accessibility. The study fills a gap in research on food environments in Central and Eastern Europe and highlights the need to combine objective and subjective measures when assessing access to healthy food.

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