Patients with atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heartbeat that raises the risk of stroke, who live in neighborhoods with poor access to grocery stores face sharply higher odds of stroke and death, according to new research from Tulane University.
The study, published in JACC: Advances, tracked more than 1,500 patients in New Orleans between 2010 and 2019. After adjusting for age, health conditions and medications, researchers found that those living in federally designated “food deserts,” areas where many residents live more than a mile from a supermarket, were more than twice as likely to suffer an ischemic stroke and nearly four times as likely to die compared with similar patients in areas with better food access.
“This research shows that for patients with AF, the environment they live in, the basic infrastructure of their neighborhood, can be just as important as the care they receive in the clinic,” said Dr. Nassir Marrouche, director of the Tulane University Heart and Vascular Institute. “Something as fundamental as access to healthy food could literally save lives.”
The team suggests that clinicians screen patients for food access and connect them with nutrition programs or social services when needed. Policymakers could also target grocery access in neighborhoods where medically vulnerable residents live.
The findings highlight a broader point: food access is not just a matter of convenience. It can profoundly affect health outcomes and, in some cases, survival.
This research was supported by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) through its REACHnet program.
Two of the study authors reported industry connections: Dr. Kreidieh has consulted for Biosense Webster and Dr. Marrouche has received support from several medical device companies and holds equity in Cardiac Design.