Association between Food Store Availability and the Incidence of Functional Disability among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Results from the Japanese Gerontological Evaluation Cohort Study

This study sought to clarify the association between food store availability and the incidence of disability in older adults. This study utilized a population-based cohort study of independent Japanese adults aged ≥65 years, which was a 6 year follow-up of participants in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. A total of 31,273 respondents were extracted. Food store availability was evaluated based on the existence of food stores within 500/1000 m of the home. We utilized participant-reported subjective measurement as well as geographic information system-based objective measurement for the evaluation. The incidence of disability was determined using municipal data on eligibility for long-term care insurance benefits. There were 7643 (24.4%) community-dwelling participants with low subjective food store availability and 5673 (18.1%) with low objective food store availability. During the follow-up period of 6 years, the cumulative incidence of disability was 20.9%, with a significant association between low subjective food store availability and increased disability. Participants who reported low subjective food store availability had a significantly higher likelihood of developing disability (hazard ratio = 1.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.11–1.25) than those who reported high subjective food store availability after adjusting for age, sex, sociodemographic status, environmental status, walking and going out, dietary food intake, body mass index, and comorbidities. Low subjective food store availability was associated with early onset of disability. Accessibility of food stores might contribute to maintaining a disability-free life.

Neighbourhood food store availability in relation to 24 h urinary sodium and potassium excretion in young Japanese women

Previous studies on the relationship of local food environment with residents' diets have relied exclusively on self-reported information on diet, producing inconsistent results. Evaluation of dietary intake using biomarkers may obviate the biases inherent to the use of self-reported dietary information. This cross-sectional study examined the association between neighbourhood food store availability and 24 h urinary Na and K excretion. The subjects were 904 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18–22 years. Neighbourhood food store availability was defined as the number of food stores within a 0·5-mile (0·8-km) radius of residence. Urinary Na and K excretion and the ratio of urinary Na to K were estimated from a single 24 h urine sample. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, neighbourhood availability of confectionery stores/bakeries was inversely associated with urinary K, and was positively associated with the ratio of Na to K (Pfor trend = 0·008 and 0·03, respectively). Neighbourhood availability of rice stores showed an independent inverse association with urinary K (Pfor trend = 0·03), whereas neighbourhood availability of supermarkets/grocery stores conversely showed an independent positive association with this variable (Pfor trend = 0·03). Furthermore, neighbourhood availability of fruit/vegetable stores showed an independent inverse association with the ratio of Na to K (Pfor trend = 0·049). In a group of young Japanese women, increasing neighbourhood availability of supermarkets/grocery stores and fruit/vegetable stores and decreasing availability of confectionery stores/bakeries and rice stores were associated with favourable profiles of 24 h urinary K (and Na) excretion.

Race and food store availability in an inner-city neighbourhood

BackgroundA growing body of research has shown that disparities in resources, including food stores, exist at the neighbourhood level and the greatest disparities are seen in minority neighbourhoods, the same neighbourhoods at increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Less is known about whether differences in availability of resources by African American or Latino race/ethnicity exist within a single minority community.ObjectiveThe present study examined whether census blocks either 75% African American (AA) or 75% Latino (L) are associated with food store availability, as compared with racially mixed (RM) census blocks, in East Harlem, New York.Design/methodsA cross-sectional study utilising a walking survey of East Harlem was performed. Food stores were classified into: supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, specialty stores, full-service restaurants and fast-food stores.ResultsOne hundred and sixty-five East Harlem census blocks were examined; 17 were AA, 34 were L and 114 were RM. Of AA census blocks, 100% had neither supermarkets nor grocery stores. AA census blocks were less likely to have convenience stores (prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07–0.86) compared with RM census blocks. In contrast, predominantly L census blocks were more likely to have convenience stores (PR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.20–2.70), specialty food stores (PR = 3.74, 95% CI 2.06–7.15), full-service restaurants (PR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.04–3.38) and fast-food restaurants (PR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.33–3.44) compared with RM census blocks.ConclusionsWe found that inequities in food store availability exist by race/ethnicity in East Harlem, New York. This has implications for racial/ethnic differences in dietary quality, obesity and obesity-related disorders.