Table 2.

Correlation Between Percentage of Rural Residents in 100 North Carolina Counties and Mean Commute Times, Food Retail Gap Per Capita, and BMI

Variable	Correlation With Percentage of Rural Residentsa
Commute time 1990	0.56
Commute time 2000	0.59
Commute time difference (2000 − 1990)	0.25
Retail gap per capita (NAICS code 445)b	0.19
Retail gap per capita (NAICS code 722)c	0.43
Combined retail gap per capita (NAICS codes 445 + 722)	0.31
County-level BMI	0.21

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; NAICS, North American Industry Classification System.

^a P values ranged from <.001 to .04 using a t test except that for retail gap per capita (NAICS code 445) (P = .06).

^b Retail gap per capita calculated by subtracting county-level sales of products for a NAICS category in 2008 from county-level demand for products in that category in 2008. NAICS code 445 defined as stores that sell food and beverages from fixed point-of-sale locations, including supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, meat markets, produce markets, and specialty food stores.

^c NAICS code 722 defined as food services and drinking places that prepare meals, snacks, and beverages to customer order for consumption on and off the premises, including full-service restaurants, limited-service eating places (fast-food restaurants), special food services, and drinking places.