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Rocha LL, Friche AADL, Jardim MZ, Castro Junior PCPD, Oliveira EP, Cardoso LDO, Mendes LL. [Perception of the food environment by Brazilian slum residents: a qualitative study]. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2024; 40:e00128423. [PMID: 38536991 PMCID: PMC10962425 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311xpt128423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Food availability in the territory can influence food consumption by the population. However, it is important to understand how people perceive their food environment to see how food availability affects consumption in different contexts. This study aimed to assess the perception of the food environment by Brazilian slum residents in their neighborhoods. This is a qualitative study, with online focus groups guided by a script in order to gather collective discourses about access to food in Brazilian slums. The invitation to participate in this study was made through social media, and community leaders and nongovernmental organizations with actions in slums were contacted using the snowball sampling technique. Grounded theory analysis was applied with the technique of thematic networks. Access to food for slum residents involves lack of resources and essential elements for an adequate and healthy diet, such as lack of information about food, low income, and low availability of stores that sell healthy food at affordable prices. Public programs and policies are required to encourage the expansion of food and nutritional security resources, such as vegetable gardens and markets, to increase the supply and sell healthy food at affordable prices in slums. Actions are also required to address the complexity of obstacles faced by slum residents in the access to healthy foods.
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Caruso OT, McEachern LW, Minaker LM, Gilliland JA. The Influence of the School Neighborhood Food Retail Environment on Unhealthy Food Purchasing Behaviors Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR 2024; 56:145-161. [PMID: 38284954 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2023.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Adolescents are often exposed to food retailers selling unhealthy food items during their lunch breaks and school commutes. This systematic review examines the influence of school neighborhood food retail environments on adolescent food purchasing. METHODS A systematic search of 6 databases. Observational studies published from January 2012 to December 2022 that measured food availability, accessibility, or exposure, measured food purchasing, and focused on adolescents (aged 10-19 years) were eligible for inclusion. RESULTS Twelve studies with 97 findings were included. Thirty-one findings indicated that a school neighborhood with a high density of unhealthy food retail, a school with unhealthy food retail nearby, or exposure to unhealthy food retail on the journey to/from school was associated with higher prevalence and frequency of unhealthy food purchases. DISCUSSION Adolescents' food purchasing behaviors may be meaningfully affected by their school neighborhood food retail environment; however, the included studies have many methodological shortcomings. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE Results identify the need for new studies that measure food purchasing, use comprehensive definitions of food retail environments, and adopt more rigorous methods to approximate exposure to food retail. More robust evidence would strengthen the rationale for policy or program interventions and potentially indicate specific targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia T Caruso
- Department of Geography and Environment, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Louise W McEachern
- Department of Geography and Environment, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leia M Minaker
- School of Planning, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jason A Gilliland
- Department of Geography and Environment, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; School of Health Studies, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
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Kain J, Sandoval MH, Orellana Y, Cruz N, Díez J, Weisstaub G. Socio-Spatial Segregation of Unhealthy Food Environments across Public Schools in Santiago, Chile. Nutrients 2023; 16:108. [PMID: 38201938 PMCID: PMC10780824 DOI: 10.3390/nu16010108] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Santiago, Chile is a very segregated city, with higher childhood obesity rates observed in vulnerable areas. We compared the counts and proximity of unhealthy food outlets (UFOs) around a 400 m buffer of 443 public schools (municipal and subsidized) located in socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods in 14 municipalities of Santiago. This was a cross-sectional study in which the socioeconomic status (SES) of the population living inside the buffer was classified as middle-high, middle, and low. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test for comparisons of density and proximity between type of school, SES, and population density. We used a negative binomial model (unadjusted and adjusted by population density) to determine the expected change in counts of UFOs by SES, which was compared to the reference (middle-high). Low SES neighborhoods had significantly more counts of UFOs, and these were located much closer to schools. Low and middle SES neighborhoods had an 88% and 48% higher relative risk of having UFOs compared to middle-high SES areas; (IRR = 1.88; 95% CI 1.59-2.23) and (IRR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.20-1.82), respectively. A socio-spatial segregation of UFOs associated with childhood obesity across public schools was observed in Santiago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Kain
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Macul 7830490, Chile; (J.K.); (Y.O.); (G.W.)
| | - Moisés H. Sandoval
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Macul 7830490, Chile; (J.K.); (Y.O.); (G.W.)
| | - Yasna Orellana
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Macul 7830490, Chile; (J.K.); (Y.O.); (G.W.)
| | - Natalie Cruz
- The Institute of Geography of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Macul 7820436, Chile;
| | - Julia Díez
- Public Health and Epidemiology Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad de Alcala, 28801 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Gerardo Weisstaub
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Macul 7830490, Chile; (J.K.); (Y.O.); (G.W.)
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de Freitas PP, Lopes MS, Costa BVDL, Sales DM, de Menezes MC, Jaime PC, Lopes ACS. A longitudinal analysis of the fluctuation of food stores in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2454. [PMID: 38062435 PMCID: PMC10704749 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17350-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in food environments have the potential to affect consumption, nutritional status, and health, and understanding these changes is of utmost importance. This study, therefore, aimed to examine the fluctuation of food stores that sell fruits and vegetables over five years in the health promotion service area of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS This was an ecological study that used data from a food environment audit conducted in the realm of Brazilian PHC. Buffers of 1 mile (equivalent to 1600 m) were created around health promotion services to define food environments. All food stores and open-air food markets that sold fruits and vegetables (FV) within this buffer area were considered eligible. The data collection was performed during two periods: the baseline, in 2013, and after five years, in 2018. This study compares the fluctuation by the type of stores and according to the health vulnerability index (HVI). RESULTS After 5 years, 35.2% of the stores were stable; 154 stores were closed, and 155 were opened. The stability was greater in low-vulnerability areas, and the fluctuation differed by type of store only for areas with high vulnerability. The number of supermarket decreased in high HVI territories; and local stores, showed greater stability when compared to specialized FV markets. CONCLUSIONS The differences in store fluctuations according to the vulnerability of areas demonstrate the importance of food supply policies considering the local characteristics to reduce inequities of access to healthy foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Pinheiro de Freitas
- Research Group on Nutrition Interventions, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, 190, room 316, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil
| | - Mariana Souza Lopes
- Department of Nutrition, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campos I, Cidade Universitária, Castelo Branco, João Pessoa, 58051-900, Brazil
| | - Bruna Vieira de Lima Costa
- Nutrition Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, 190, room 314, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil
| | - Denise Marques Sales
- Institute of Geosciences in Geography (IGC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6.627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Mariana Carvalho de Menezes
- School of Nutrition, Research Group on Nutrition and Collective Health, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, St Dois, 607, room 64, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Constante Jaime
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr Arnaldo 715, São Paulo, SP, 01246-904, Brazil
| | - Aline Cristine Souza Lopes
- Research Group on Nutrition Interventions, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, 190, room 316, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.
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Carmo ASD, Mendes LL, Cardoso LDO, Caiaffa WT, Santos LCD. The influence of neighborhood safety and built environment on childhood obesity: isolated and combined effect of contextual factors. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2023; 39:e00104822. [PMID: 37585911 PMCID: PMC10511156 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311xen104822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the isolated and combined effect of objective measures concerning neighborhood safety, food, and physical activity environments on students' obesity. This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 9- and 10-year-old children enrolled in the municipal education network of a Brazilian metropolis. Environment objective measures comprised neighborhood unsafety (annual criminality and road traffic accident rates), availability of public parks and spaces for physical activity practicing, and index of establishments that predominantly sell ultra-processed food. Euclidean buffers of 1,000m around the children's house were used as eligible geographic units. This study adopted the Principal Component Analysis and Generalized Estimation Equation models. Stratified analyses were conducted based on neighborhood unsafety and on child's family income. In total, 717 students were assessed, 12.2% of them were children with obesity. The latent variable of the obesogenic environment (deduced by environment unsafety rates and the index of establishments that predominantly sell ultra-processed food) was a risk factor for obesity in children with lower socioeconomic levels (OR = 2.37; 95%CI: 1.06-5.19). Public parks and spaces for physical activity practicing were protective factors against childhood obesity only in locations recording the lowest environment unsafety rates (OR = 0.30; 95%CI: 0.09-0.94). Based on our findings, social conditions change the effect of the environment on childhood obesity, reinforcing the relevance of inter-sectoral policies and strategies against this condition.
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