06/21/2025-
In Washington, D.C., where neighborhood lines often map onto life expectancies, food insecurity has become a pressing public health issue. Wards 7 and 8, with only three full-service grocery stores, sharply contrast with affluent Ward 3’s 15 outlets. That access disparity correlates with a staggering 15-year life expectancy gap between some ZIP codes east of the Anacostia River and wealthier areas to the northwest. This inequality reflects what public health experts call the social determinants of health – non-medical factors, such as access to nutritious food, that shape physical well-being…..