THE HEALTHY - Researchers specializing in behavioral science and bioinformatics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the University of California, Riverside reports: “We used 2016–2020 data where traditional grocery store and dollar store locations across the contiguous US were geocoded and assigned as standard quality (SQ) and low-quality (LQ) respectively.” The ratings have to do with the amount of nutrient-dense, fresh food items the stores carry.
They also factored in data from the national census and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as individuals’ socioeconomic status and proximity to standard- and low-quality stores.