Food deserts and food swamps in a Brazilian metropolis: comparison of methods to evaluate the community food environment in Belo Horizonte

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused alterations to be made in the way many people access, prepare, and consume food. Rural communities are particularly impacted due to pre-existing structural vulnerabilities, i.e., poverty, lack of infrastructure, and limited fresh food options. This study aimed to characterize experiences of one rural Appalachian community’s changes to the food environment during the pandemic. In April 2021, six focus groups were conducted with residents of Laurel County, Kentucky. Using grounded theory, we identified losses, gains, and overall changes to the community food environment since the onset of COVID-19. Seventeen Laurel Countians (17 female; ages 30–74) participated in the six focus groups. Three main themes emerged regarding food environment changes—(1) modifications of community food and nutrition resources, (2) expansion and utilization of online food ordering, and (3) implications of the home food environment. Rural communities faced considerable challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, in part, due to gaps in existing infrastructure and loss of pre-existing resources. This study illustrates the complexity of changes occurring during COVID-19. Using the preliminary data obtained, we can better understand pre-existing issues in Laurel County and suggestions for future programming to address the inequitable access and response during public health emergencies and beyond.

Download Full-text

Children-and-Partner's Food Preferences and Role of Woman as Caregiver: Key Elements of Food Choice Linked to Social Environment in a Consumer Population of Hermosillo City

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 174-174

Author(s):

Ana Contreras Navarro ◽

Paulina Blanco Cervantes ◽

Alma Contreras Paniagua ◽

Gloria Portillo Abril ◽

Guadalupe Álvarez Gordillo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Focus Groups ◽

Food Environment ◽

Food Choice ◽

Food Preferences ◽

Five Dimensions ◽

Food And Nutrition Security ◽

Nutrition Security ◽

Food And Nutrition ◽

Consumer Population ◽

Community Food Environment

Abstract Objectives The main objective was to identify determinants of food choice linked to the community food environment in a marginalized consumer population in the city of Hermosillo, Mexico. The specific objectives were to develop group interviews with women and to frame the data analysis within the field of research in food and nutrition security. Methods In this qualitative study design, we employed the focus group technique to ask participants “How do you decide which foods to obtain for your family's diet?”. To investigate further we asked, “What are those reasons that explain the selection of those foods?” Women who regularly attended a community center localized in a neighborhood with a very high grade of urban marginalization participated in the focus groups. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and three distinct methods were used to perform analysis: (1) content analysis (2) data organization, using software QSR NVivo, in relation to five dimensions of food and nutrition security: affordability, accessibility, acceptability, food quality, and care; and (3) triangulation between five co-authors (A.C.N., P.B.C., A.D.C.P., G.E.P.A., and M.I.O.V.). Results From May to November of 2019, four focus groups were conducted by a single facilitator in two community centers of Hermosillo (n = 27 participants). Reasons that explained the participant's food choices within the community food environment and that showed the highest number of mentions in the interviews were identified in relation to acceptability factors: children's food preferences, partner's food preferences, all household-members’ food preferences. The following extract reflects the main study findings: “When I can't do a certain thing it is because it's very expensive, but if there is a way, even if it's a little… for example, my middle-aged son really likes peppers and he eats them alone. So, I know that when I go to the store, I have to bring at least one, for him to eat other things.” Conclusions The study of food choice in this group of women denotes that their role as caregiver of food and nutrition in relation to their children-and-partner's food preferences are key elements of food decision-making processes, preceding the socioeconomic factors and constraints, they certainly face. Funding Sources Institutional small grant C.I.A.D., A.C.

Download Full-text

Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Dietary Behaviors: Role of Community Food Environment

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.1016/j.jand.2018.11.021 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 119 (6) ◽

pp. 934-943.e2

Author(s):

Cori Lorts ◽

Natasha Tasevska ◽

Marc A. Adams ◽

Michael J. Yedidia ◽

David Tulloch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Environment ◽

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽

Dietary Behaviors ◽

Supplemental Nutrition ◽

Assistance Program ◽

Nutrition Assistance ◽

Community Food Environment

Download Full-text

Socioeconomic Disparities in the Community Food Environment of a Medium-Sized City of Brazil

Journal of the American College of Nutrition ◽

10.1080/07315724.2020.1755911 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Luciene Fátima Fernandes Almeida ◽

Taiane Gonçalves Novaes ◽

Milene Cristine Pessoa ◽

Ariene Silva do Carmo ◽

Larissa Loures Mendes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Environment ◽

Socioeconomic Disparities ◽

Community Food Environment

Download Full-text

Monotony in the consumption of fruits and vegetables and food environment characteristics

Revista de Saúde Pública ◽

10.11606/s1518-8787.2019053000705 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 63 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Raquel De Deus Mendonça ◽

Mariana Souza Lopes ◽

Patrícia Pinheiro Freitas ◽

Suellen Fabiane Campos ◽

Mariana Carvalho de Menezes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Environment ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Care Services ◽

Program Unit ◽

Primary Health Care Services ◽

Belo Horizonte ◽

Community Trial

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the quantity and diversity in the consumption fruits and vegetables, as well as its relationship with the consumer’s purchase characteristics and food environment. METHODS: Baseline study stemming from a controlled and randomized community trial investigating a sample representative of Primary Health Care services (Health Academy Program) of Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais. The intake of fruits and vegetables was analyzed in servings/day, whereas diversity was assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Users were also questioned on the frequency, purchase location and availability of these foods at their households. To assess the consumer’s food environment, commercial establishments within a 1.6 km radius around the program unit sampled were audited. RESULTS: 3,414 adults and older adults (88.1% women) were investigated, as well as 336 commercial establishments, in 18 units of the Health Academy Program. The average consumption of fruits and vegetables was adequate [5.4 (SD = 2.1) servings/day] but monotonous, with average daily intake of two different types. In the establishments audited, a good diversity (77.7% and 85.0%) and variety (74.5% and 81.4%) of fruits and vegetables was observed, although with lower quality of vegetables (60.4%). After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, we identified that knowledge on food crops (p = 0.006), increased monthly availability of fruits at households (p < 0.001), and greater variety of fruits (p = 0.03) and quality of vegetables (p = 0.05) in commercial establishments could improve the quantitative intake of fruits and vegetables, whereas a greater variety of fruits (p = 0.008) would increase consumption diversity. CONCLUSIONS: The intake of fruits and vegetables was quantitatively adequate but monotonous, being influences by the consumer environment. Such results highlight the need for improving educational actions in health services and programs, in addition to acting on the consumer environment, aiming to promote and maintain the adequate and diversified consumption, as recommended by Brazilian guidelines for proper and healthy eating.

Download Full-text

Web Data Mining: Validity of Data from Google Earth for Food Retail Evaluation

Journal of Urban Health ◽

10.1007/s11524-020-00495-x ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mariana Carvalho de Menezes ◽

Vanderlei Pascoal de Matos ◽

Maria de Fátima de Pina ◽

Bruna Vieira de Lima Costa ◽

Larissa Loures Mendes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Predictive Value ◽

Ground Truth ◽

Google Earth ◽

Food Retail ◽

Ground Truth Data ◽

Census Tracts ◽

Belo Horizonte ◽

Sensitivity Specificity ◽

Food Retail Environment ◽

Community Food Environment

AbstractTo overcome the challenge of obtaining accurate data on community food retail, we developed an innovative tool to automatically capture food retail data from Google Earth (GE). The proposed method is relevant to non-commercial use or scholarly purposes. We aimed to test the validity of web sources data for the assessment of community food retail environment by comparison to ground-truth observations (gold standard). A secondary aim was to test whether validity differs by type of food outlet and socioeconomic status (SES). The study area included a sample of 300 census tracts stratified by SES in two of the largest cities in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. The GE web service was used to develop a tool for automatic acquisition of food retail data through the generation of a regular grid of points. To test its validity, this data was compared with the ground-truth data. Compared to the 856 outlets identified in 285 census tracts by the ground-truth method, the GE interface identified 731 outlets. In both cities, the GE interface scored moderate to excellent compared to the ground-truth data across all of the validity measures: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy (ranging from 66.3 to 100%). The validity did not differ by SES strata. Supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants yielded better results than other store types. To our knowledge, this research is the first to investigate using GE as a tool to capture community food retail data. Our results suggest that the GE interface could be used to measure the community food environment. Validity was satisfactory for different SES areas and types of outlets.

Download Full-text