Association of Food Environment Variables and Covid-19 Outcomes Driven Locally and Nationally by Population and Median Household Income

Initiated in the Microbiology Capstone class, research began as a team of undergrads interested in the relationships between COVID-19 outcomes and food environment variables. Through the gathering of open source COVID-19 and food environment data, we developed data literacy through preliminary work. Focusing on Wyoming county data, we determined positive correlations between COVID-19 outcomes and farmers markets, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Stores (SNAPS), Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Stores, and percent diabetes. I continued the analytic work, expanding data to include county level data for the United States. Using structural equation modeling I identified population and median household income to be drivers of both COVID-19 outcomes and food environment variables. Understanding the national trends, I reassess the findings at the Wyoming county level.