Association between fast food purchasing and the local food environment

Exploring subjective elements of the food environment remains key to understand why and how residents purchase food. Our aim was to explore and describe the social norms relating to the local food environment and food purchasing behaviors, as perceived by residents and food traders in Madrid, Spain. This qualitative study took place in a middle socioeconomic status neighborhood of Madrid between January 2015 and May 2016. We conducted 35 semi-structured interviews. We used stratified purposive sampling to recruit residents, neighborhood workers (N = 20) and food traders (N = 15) representing different levels of involvement with food purchasing behaviors. We analyzed these data using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Participants highlighted social aspects of the food environment in relation to food purchasing behaviors. First, interpersonal and relational food environment elements were emphasized, including trust and tradition. Participants also identified generational demographic trends in relation to changes in the way residents purchased food: the new pace of life and the lack of time to buy fresh food and to cook at home. All these elements were influenced by the economic crisis. Food environment interventions aiming to improve food purchasing behaviors and residents’ diets should consider intermediate social aspects of the food environment like trust and tradition and the fast pace of life of younger generations.

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Is the local food environment associated with excess body weight in adolescents in São Paulo, Brazil?

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/0102-311x00048619 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Luana Romão Nogueira ◽

Mariane de Mello Fontanelli ◽

Breno Souza de Aguiar ◽

Marcelo Antunes Failla ◽

Alex Antonio Florindo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Environment ◽

Fast Food ◽

Weight Status ◽

Local Food ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Excess Body Weight ◽

Sample Population ◽

São Paulo ◽

Cross Sectional

The obesogenic environment stimulates an inadequate diet by hampering healthy choices. This cross-sectional study evaluated the association between the local food environment and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a representative sample population of adolescents living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, using multilevel logistic regression models. Among the adolescents, 29.6% were overweight/obese. There were no significant differences between food environment and adolescents’ weight status. However, the presence of fast food restaurants near their home increased the chances of being overweight or obese (OR = 2.53; 95%CI: 1.02-6.27). Results suggest the need to intensify food and nutrition policies, development of culinary skills, and the reduction in prices of healthy foods to facilitate access to these foods, so that adolescents have options in locations to socialize with friends and family.

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No new fast-food outlets allowed! The effect of local area planning policy on the healthiness of the local food environment

10.26226/morressier.619bdac3be545488cfae50e7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Viviana Albani

Keyword(s):

Food Environment ◽

Fast Food ◽

Local Food ◽

Local Area ◽

Planning Policy ◽

Food Outlets ◽

Area Planning

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‘Nutrition is out of our control’: soldiers’ perceptions of their local food environment

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980019001381 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (15) ◽

pp. 2766-2776

Author(s):

Chizoba L Chukwura ◽

Theresa Jackson Santo ◽

Clarice N Waters ◽

Anne Andrews

Keyword(s):

Focus Groups ◽

Food Environment ◽

Fast Food ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Local Food ◽

Portion Size ◽

Common Belief ◽

Us Army ◽

The Military ◽

Nutrition Behaviour

AbstractObjective:To explore the perceptions of soldiers participating in a US Army Office of The Surgeon General’s worksite health promotion programme (WHPP) on the local food environment within their campus-style workplace.Design:Focus groups were conducted to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the WHPP implementation. Further exploration of focus group data through thematic analysis focused on perceived contributions of the military campus-style food environment to soldiers’ nutrition behaviours.Setting:Three US Army installations located in the continental USA.Participants:Active duty soldiers (n 366) participating in one of the fifty-eight focus groups.Results:Soldiers shared a common belief of self-discipline and personal responsibility as the foothold to nutrition behaviour change. Soldiers described aspects of the military campus-style food environment as factors impeding achievement of optimal nutrition. Collectively, soldiers perceived the proximity and density of fast-food restaurants, lack of healthy alternatives on the installation and the cost of healthy food as inhibitors to choosing healthy foods. Overwhelmingly, soldiers also perceived time constraints as a factor contributing to unhealthy food choices.Conclusions:Although nutrition behaviour is individually driven, soldiers perceived the military campus-style food environment inhibits healthy decision making. Nutrition programming in military WHPP must integrate food environment changes to improve soldiers’ nutrition behaviour outcomes. Applicable to the military, food choice behaviour studies suggest environmental changes must be appealing to young adults. Considerations for environmental changes should include an increased portion size for healthy options, broadened use of soldiers’ daily food allowances on local produce and increased availability of grab-and-go options.

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Abstract P266: The Local Food Environment and Obesity: A Systematic Review

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.131.suppl_1.p266 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Laura K Cobb ◽

Lawrence J Appel ◽

Manuel Franco ◽

Jessica C Jones-Smith ◽

Cheryl A Anderson

Keyword(s):

Food Availability ◽

Food Environment ◽

Fast Food ◽

Local Food ◽

Grocery Stores ◽

Food Environments ◽

Study Quality ◽

The Us ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Introduction: Numerous studies have explored the relationship of the local food environment and obesity. However, results have been inconsistent, and existing literature reviews have not taken into account study quality or the heterogeneity of measures of the local food environment. Methods: We used systematic keyword searches in Pubmed and Scopus to identify studies conducted in the US and Canada that assessed the relationship of obesity to the local availability of supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, fast food restaurants or indices combining these measures. We developed a quality metric based on study design, exposure and outcome measurement and analysis, and then assigned each study a score. Results: We identified 71 studies representing 65 cohorts. Overall, study quality was low; 60 studies were cross-sectional. The approach to measuring local food environments varied: fast food availability was measured 31 ways in 44 studies. Associations between food outlet availability and obesity were predominantly null. In adults, we saw a trend among the non-null associations toward inverse associations between supermarket availability and obesity (22 inverse, 4 direct, 67 null) and direct associations between fast food and obesity (29 direct, 6 inverse, 71 null). In children, we saw robust direct associations between fast food availability and obesity in lower income populations only (12 direct, 7 null). In adults, indices made up of multiple types of outlets had resulted in the most consistent associations with obesity (18 expected, 23 null). Limiting analyses to higher quality studies did not affect results. Conclusions: We found limited evidence for associations between the local food environment and obesity. Quality issues, however, make causal inference difficult. Absent compelling direct evidence linking local food environments to obesity, policy makers will need to rely on other types of evidence as they address the environmental changes that contribute to the steep increase in obesity in the US.

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Household Food Insecurity, Local Food Environment Measures and Obesity in Adult Women in Hermosillo, México (P04-044-19)

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzz051.p04-044-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Zahid García-López ◽

Alma Contreras-Paniagua ◽

Gloria Portillo ◽

Ana Lucía Contreras-Navarro ◽

Jeanne Husson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Waist Circumference ◽

Food Environment ◽

Local Food ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Adult Women ◽

Food Purchasing ◽

Household Food ◽

Corner Stores

Abstract Objectives To examine the relationship between prevalence of overweight and obesity in adult women, household food insecurity (FI) and local food environment measures in Hermosillo, Mexico. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study design with a multi-stage sampling process for neighborhoods, households and individuals (in areas with medium and high levels of social marginalization). Measures of body weight, height and waist circumference from adult women were collected from September to November 2018. Through validated questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, we assessed food security (scale of food security for families in northwestern Mexico), perception of the local food environment (NEMS-P), socioeconomic status and self-reported physical activity. Results Prevalence of overweight and obesity among women was 80.5%, 82% were moderately active, and 69% did mainly housework. Seventy nine % of households showed some level of FI. Participants reported mainly supermarkets and corner stores for food purchasing (75.7% and 15.4%, respectively). There was a higher probability of obesity in women who visited neighborhood corner stores daily compared to those who purchased in other food establishments (OR: 3.66; 95% CI, 1.2–10.4). Among households with FI, the consumption of food while watching television, occupation, cohabitation status (being married or living with a partner) and the frequency and places of food purchasing, were associated with women´s overweight or obesity (P < 0.05). There was an association between women's waist circumference and severe household FI (P < 0.05). Conclusions The food environment and household FI were related to the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adult women. Funding Sources This research was funded by the Interdisciplinary Research Network on Obesity Prevention at Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo.

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A Time-Based Objective Measure of Exposure to the Food Environment

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16071180 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. 1180 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jason Scully ◽

Anne Moudon ◽

Philip Hurvitz ◽

Anju Aggarwal ◽

Adam Drewnowski

Keyword(s):

Food Environment ◽

Fast Food ◽

Objective Measure ◽

Mobility Patterns ◽

Time Duration ◽

Positioning Systems ◽

Global Positioning ◽

Fast Food Restaurants ◽

Logistic Regressions ◽

The Relationship

Exposure to food environments has mainly been limited to counting food outlets near participants’ homes. This study considers food environment exposures in time and space using global positioning systems (GPS) records and fast food restaurants (FFRs) as the environment of interest. Data came from 412 participants (median participant age of 45) in the Seattle Obesity Study II who completed a survey, wore GPS receivers, and filled out travel logs for seven days. FFR locations were obtained from Public Health Seattle King County and geocoded. Exposure was conceptualized as contact between stressors (FFRs) and receptors (participants’ mobility records from GPS data) using four proximities: 21 m, 100 m, 500 m, and ½ mile. Measures included count of proximal FFRs, time duration in proximity to ≥1 FFR, and time duration in proximity to FFRs weighted by FFR counts. Self-reported exposures (FFR visits) were excluded from these measures. Logistic regressions tested associations between one or more reported FFR visits and the three exposure measures at the four proximities. Time spent in proximity to an FFR was associated with significantly higher odds of FFR visits at all proximities. Weighted duration also showed positive associations with FFR visits at 21-m and 100-m proximities. FFR counts were not associated with FFR visits. Duration of exposure helps measure the relationship between the food environment, mobility patterns, and health behaviors. The stronger associations between exposure and outcome found at closer proximities (<100 m) need further research.

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Dopamine D4 receptor gene polymorphism (DRD4 VNTR) moderates real-world behavioural response to the food retail environment in children

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10160-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Catherine Paquet ◽

Andre Krumel Portella ◽

Spencer Moore ◽

Yu Ma ◽

Alain Dagher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Density ◽

Food Environment ◽

Local Food ◽

Receptor Gene ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Dopamine D4 Receptor ◽

Vntr Polymorphism ◽

Food Retailers ◽

D4 Receptor ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Evidence for the impact of the food retailing environment on food-related and obesity outcomes remains equivocal, but only a few studies have attempted to identify sub-populations for whom this relationship might be stronger than others. Genetic polymorphisms related to dopamine signalling have been associated with differences in responses to rewards such as food and may be candidate markers to identify such sub-populations. This study sought to investigate whether genetic variation of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4 exon III 48 bp VNTR polymorphism) moderated the association between local exposure to food retailers on BMI and diet in a sample of 4 to12-year-old children. Methods Data collected from a birth cohort and a community cross-sectional study conducted in Montreal, Canada, were combined to provide DRD4 VNTR polymorphism data in terms of presence of the 7-repeat allele (DRD4-7R) for 322 children aged between 4 and 12 (M (SD): 6.8(2.8) y). Outcomes were Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and energy density derived from a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Food environment was expressed as the proportion of local food retailers classified as healthful within 3 km of participants’ residence. Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, income, cohort, and geographic clustering were used to test gene*environment interactions. Results A significant gene*food environment interaction was found for energy density with results indicating that DRD4-7R carriers had more energy dense diets than non-carriers, with this effect being more pronounced in children living in areas with proportionally more unhealthy food retailers. No evidence of main or interactive effects of DRD4 VNTR and food environment was found for BMI. Conclusions Results of the present study suggest that a genetic marker related to dopamine pathways can identify children with potentially greater responsiveness to unhealthy local food environment. Future studies should investigate additional elements of the food environment and test whether results hold across different populations.

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Local Retail Food Environment and Consumption of Fruit and Vegetable among Adults in Hong Kong

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph15102247 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 2247 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ting Zhang ◽

Bo Huang

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Food Environment ◽

Fast Food ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Grocery Stores ◽

Fruit Consumption ◽

Retail Food Environment ◽

Convenience Stores ◽

Fast Food Restaurants ◽

Retail Food

Outside of western countries, the study of the local food environment and evidence for its association with dietary behavior is limited. The aim of this paper was to examine the association between the local retail food environment and consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) among adults in Hong Kong. Local retail food environment was measured by density of different types of retail food outlets (grocery stores, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants) within a 1000 m Euclidean buffer around individual’s homes using a geographic information system (GIS). The Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI) was calculated based on the relative density of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores to grocery stores. Logistic regressions were performed to examine associations using cross-sectional data of 1977 adults (18 years or older). Overall, people living in an area with the highest RFEI (Q4, >5.76) had significantly greater odds of infrequent FV consumption (<7 days/week) after covariates adjustment (infrequent fruit consumption: OR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.04–1.78; infrequent vegetable consumption: OR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.11–2.68) in comparison to the lowest RFEI (Q1, <2.25). Highest density of fast food restaurants (Q4, >53) was also significantly associated with greater odds of infrequent fruit consumption (<7 days/week) (unadjusted model: OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.04–1.73), relative to lowest density of fast food restaurants (Q1, <13). No significant association of density of grocery stores or convenience stores was observed with infrequent FV consumption regardless of the covariates included in the model. Our results suggest that the ratio of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores to grocery stores near people’s home is an important environmental factor in meeting fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines. “Food swamps” (areas with an abundance of unhealthy foods) rather than “food deserts” (areas where there is limited access to healthy foods) seems to be more of a problem in Hong Kong’s urban areas. We advanced international literature by providing evidence in a non-western setting.

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