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Kalbus AI, Cornelsen L, Ballatore A, Cummins S. Associations between the neighbourhood food environment and food and drink purchasing in England during lockdown: A repeated cross-sectional analysis. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305295. [PMID: 39018304 PMCID: PMC11253942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Evidence for the effect of neighbourhood food environment (NFE) exposures on diet in the UK is mixed, potentially due to exposure misclassification. This study used the first national COVID-19 lockdown in England as an opportunity to isolate the independent effects of the NFE exposure on food and drink purchasing, and assessed whether these varied by region. METHODS Transaction-level purchasing data for food and drink items for at-home (1,221 households) and out-of-home consumption (171 individuals) were available from the GB Kantar Fast Moving Consumer Goods Panel for London and the North of England. The study period included 23rd March to 10th May 2020 ('lockdown'), and the same period in 2019 for comparison. NFE exposures included food outlet density and proximity, and NFE composition within a 1 km network buffer around the home. Associations were estimated for both years separately, adjusted for individual and household characteristics, population density and area deprivation. Interaction terms between region and exposures were explored. RESULTS There were no consistent patterns of association between NFE exposures and food and drink purchasing in either time period. In 2019, there was some evidence for a 1.4% decrease in energy purchased from ultra-processed foods for each additional 500 m in the distance to the nearest OOH outlet (IR 0.986, 95% CI 0.977 to 0.995, p = 0.020). In 2020, there was some evidence for a 1.8% reduction in total take-home energy for each additional chain supermarket per km2 in the neighbourhood (IR 0.982, 95% CI 0.969, 0.995, p = 0.045). Region-specific effects were observed in 2019 only. DISCUSSION Findings suggest that the differences in exposure to the NFE may not explain differences in the patterns or healthiness of grocery purchasing. Observed pre-pandemic region-specific effects allude to the importance of geographical context when designing research and policy. Future research may assess associations for those who relied on their NFE during lockdown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Irene Kalbus
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Cornelsen
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Ballatore
- Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Cummins
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Xu M, Wilson JP, Bruine de Bruin W, Lerner L, Horn AL, Livings MS, de la Haye K. New insights into grocery store visits among east Los Angeles residents using mobility data. Health Place 2024; 87:103220. [PMID: 38492528 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we employed spatially aggregated population mobility data, generated from mobile phone locations in 2021, to investigate patterns of grocery store visits among residents east and northeast of Downtown Los Angeles, in which 60% of the census tracts had previously been designated as "food deserts". Further, we examined whether the store visits varied with neighborhood sociodemographics and grocery store accessibility. We found that residents averaged 0.4 trips to grocery stores per week, with only 13% of these visits within home census tracts, and 40% within home and neighboring census tracts. The mean distance from home to grocery stores was 2.2 miles. We found that people visited grocery stores more frequently when they lived in neighborhoods with higher percentages of Hispanics/Latinos, renters and foreign-born residents, and a greater number of grocery stores. This research highlights the utility of mobility data in elucidating grocery store use, and factors that may facilitate or be a barrier to store access. The results point to limitations of using geographically constrained metrics of food access like food deserts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengya Xu
- Spatial Sciences Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 3616 Trousdale Parkway AHF B55, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - John P Wilson
- Spatial Sciences Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 3616 Trousdale Parkway AHF B55, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Sociology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 851 Downey Way HSH 314, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, 3650 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1845 N Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA; School of Architecture, University of Southern California, 850 Bloom Walk WAH 204, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Wändi Bruine de Bruin
- Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, 650 Childs Way RGL 311, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Psychology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, 3620 S McClintock Avenue SGM 501, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 635 Downey Way VPD, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Leo Lerner
- Spatial Sciences Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 3616 Trousdale Parkway AHF B55, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Abigail L Horn
- Information Sciences Institute and Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, 3650 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Michelle Sarah Livings
- Center for Research on Child and Family Wellbeing, School of Public & International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Kayla de la Haye
- Spatial Sciences Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 3616 Trousdale Parkway AHF B55, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 635 Downey Way VPD, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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Yau A, Law C, Cornelsen L, Adams J, Boyland E, Burgoine T, de Vocht F, White M, Cummins S. Association Between Household Online Grocery Delivery Service Use and Food and Drink Purchase Behavior in England: Cross-Sectional Analysis. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2023; 9:e41540. [PMID: 38113090 PMCID: PMC10762614 DOI: 10.2196/41540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Online grocery delivery services (OGDSs) are a popular way of acquiring food. However, it is unclear whether OGDS use is associated with the healthiness of purchases and whether there are sociodemographic differences in OGDS use. If so, the increased prevalence of OGDS use may have implications for population diet, and differential OGDS use could contribute to diet inequalities. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine whether OGDS use varies by sociodemographic characteristics and is associated with the amount and types of groceries purchased. METHODS Item-level take-home food and drink purchase data (n=3,233,920 items) from households in London and the North of England were available from the 2019 UK Kantar fast-moving consumer goods panel (N=1911). Purchases were categorized as being bought online or in-store. We used logistic regression to estimate the likelihood of an above-median frequency of OGDS use by sociodemographic characteristics. We used Poisson regression to estimate the differences in energy and nutrients purchased by households that had above- and below-median OGDS use and the proportion of energy purchased from products high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) online versus in-store among households that used both shopping methods (n=665). RESULTS In total, 668 (35%) households used OGDSs at least once in 2019. Of the households that used OGDSs, the median use was 5 occasions in 2019. Households were more likely to have above-median use in London versus in the North of England (odds ratio 1.29, 95% CI 1.01-1.65) and if they had a higher annual household income (odds ratio 1.56, 95% CI 1.02-2.38 for ≥£50,000 [US $64,000] vs <£20,000 [$25,600]). Households with above-median OGDS use had a higher weekly mean purchase of energy by 1461 (95% CI 1448-1474) kcal per person compared with households with below-median OGDS use. For households that used a combination of in-store and online shopping, HFSS products made up a lower proportion (-10.1%, 95% CI -12% to -8.1%) of energy purchased online compared to in-store. CONCLUSIONS Differences in grocery purchases between households with above- and below-median OGDS use could have positive or negative consequences. The extra energy purchased among households with above-median OGDS use could lead to overconsumption or food waste, which has negative consequences for population and environmental health. Alternatively, this extra energy may be replacing out-of-home purchasing, which tends to be less healthy, and may be beneficial for the population diet. Households made fewer HFSS purchases when shopping online compared to in-store, which may be due to differences in the shopping environment or experience, such as fewer promotions and advertisements when shopping online or not having to transport and carry purchases home. As higher-income households used OGDS more frequently, the implications of this sociodemographic pattern on dietary inequalities must be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Yau
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cherry Law
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Agri-Food Economics & Marketing, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Cornelsen
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jean Adams
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Boyland
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Burgoine
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Frank de Vocht
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Martin White
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Cummins
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Antwi J, Olawuyi Y, Bain S, Samuel K. Changes in food purchase, consumption and handling during COVID-19 pandemic among single person households. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294361. [PMID: 38019731 PMCID: PMC10686418 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE As a new type of consumer subject in the market that was formerly dominated by multiple person families, single households are driving the change in the buying structure. Food purchase activities have undergone significant changes since the outbreak of the COVID-19. The objective of this study was to assess and compare variations in food consumption, purchase and handling during the COVID-19 pandemic between single person households (SPH) and multiple person households. METHOD A cross-sectional study conducted among 211 individuals in communities in Harris and Waller Counties, Texas. Sociodemographic, food purchase, food consumption and food handling activities during the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed with a validated COVID-19 Nutrition questionnaire. RESULTS Non-Hispanic Black participants constituted 42.6%, and 28.4% were Hispanics. Participants were made up of mostly aged 18-24 years (39.3%), 47.9% single household composition, 30.4% in full time employment, and 29.1% partook in food assistance programs. A large proportion of them had never used grocery pickup services, online grocery shopping and a farmers' market. During the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the participants used more of large supermarkets, restaurant/fast food, and online grocery but food consumption seemed to remain the same for the majority of participants. For beverages, majority of participants consumed more water, less soda, and no alcohol. There was a significant association between single person household and higher restaurant/fast foods purchase. Many of the participants reported weight gain and less physical activity during the pandemic. CONCLUSION Restaurant meal purchases was more prevalent in single-person families. The results from the study have the potential to contribute to how public policy officials, food service, and health authorities forecast how different categories of consumers will react in pandemics and may be used to inform area-specific alleviation strategies to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and future events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Antwi
- Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Human Ecology, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, United States of America
| | - Yetunde Olawuyi
- Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Human Ecology, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, United States of America
| | - Shadiamon Bain
- Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Human Ecology, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, United States of America
| | - Kyndall Samuel
- Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Human Ecology, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, United States of America
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Li J, Kim C, Cuadros D, Yao Z, Jia P. Changes of Grocery Shopping Frequencies and Associations with Food Deserts during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States. J Urban Health 2023; 100:950-961. [PMID: 37605103 PMCID: PMC10618139 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-023-00772-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered people's lives in multiple aspects, including grocery shopping behaviors. Yet, the changing trend of grocery shopping frequencies during the COVID-19 and its associations with food deserts remain unclear. We aimed to (1) examine variations of grocery shopping frequencies at county level in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to December 2021; (2) investigate associations between grocery shopping frequencies and food deserts during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) explore heterogeneity in grocery shopping frequencies-food desert associations across urban and rural areas. The county-level grocery shopping frequencies were derived from a grocery pattern dataset obtained from SafeGraph. We divided the 22-month period into 5 stages and employed the growth curve modeling to estimate the trajectories of grocery shopping frequencies and the associations between grocery shopping frequencies and food deserts in each stage, separately. Results revealed that grocery shopping frequencies experienced a "W-shaped" pattern from March 2020 to December 2021. Counties with the least percent of food deserts had slower decrease in grocery shopping frequencies at the initial stage and recovered more rapidly at later stages. Counties with the highest percent of food deserts were subject to deprivation amplification as a result of the pandemic. We also found differences existed in the grocery shopping frequencies-food desert associations between metropolitan counties and rural counties. Our findings suggest the impacts of COVID-19 on grocery shopping frequencies varied across different time periods, shedding light on designing different strategies to reduce the risk of contagion while shopping inside of grocery stores. Further, our findings highlight an urgent need to help people living in food deserts (especially in rural counties) to procure healthy foods safely during health emergencies like COVID-19 pandemic which disrupt mobility and social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Li
- Department of Land Resources Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.
| | - Changjoo Kim
- Department of Geography & GIS, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA
| | - Diego Cuadros
- Digital Epidemiology Laboratory, Digital Futures, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Zhiyuan Yao
- Data Science Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peng Jia
- School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- International Institute of Spatial Lifecourse Health (ISLE), Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Hubei Luojia Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Coppi F, Farinetti A, Stefanelli C, Mattioli AV. Changes in food during the COVID-19 pandemic: The different roles of stress and depression in women and men. Nutrition 2023; 108:111981. [PMID: 36804282 PMCID: PMC9883207 DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2023.111981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Coppi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Alberto Farinetti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Claudio Stefanelli
- Department of Life Quality Studies, "Alma Mater Studiorum", University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Vittoria Mattioli
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
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