Objective: To assess the availability of food in relation to their degree of industrial processing and the types of food stores in the perimeters of elementary schools.Method: This is a cross-sectional study. 82 food stores located within a 500 m radius buffer of three public schools located in three distinct regions with different socioeconomic levels in the municipality of Santos, state of São Paulo, Brazil, were assessed. All streets within a 500-meter radius of the schools were covered, geographic coordinates were recorded and information about the stores and food items available were collected by direct observation and interview with store managers. Available food items were classified in relation to their degree of industrial processing as ultra-processed foods and minimally processed foods. Kernel's density maps were used to assess the degree of agglomeration of stores near the schools. Results:The stores that offered mostly ultra-processed foods were significantly closer to schools than those who offered mostly minimally processed foods. There was a significant difference between the availability of processed food in different types of stores and between the three regions assessed. Conclusions:The data found by this work evidences that children who attend the three public schools assessed are exposed to an environment that encourages the consumption of ultra-processed foods through easier access of these products in the studied stores.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2012;88(4):328-34: Nutritional environment, child, processed foods. ResumoObjetivo: Avaliar a disponibilidade de alimentos comercializados em relação ao seu grau de processamento industrial e os tipos de comércios existentes nos perímetros de escolas de ensino fundamental.Métodos: O estudo teve delineamento transversal, e foram avaliados 82 comércios localizados a um raio de 500 metros de três escolas públicas situadas em regiões distintas do município de Santos, que apresentam diferentes níveis socioeconômicos. Foram percorridas todas as ruas existentes nos perímetros das escolas, considerando-se um raio de 500 metros para delimitação da área, tendo sido registradas as coordenadas geográficas e coletadas informações sobre os pontos de venda e sobre os alimentos comercializados, por meio de observação e entrevista com os responsáveis pelo estabelecimento. Os alimentos encontrados foram classificados, em relação ao seu grau de processamento industrial, em: alimentos ultraprocessados e alimentos minimamente processados. Para a avaliação do grau de aglomeração dos estabelecimentos nos perímetros das escolas, foram utilizados mapas de densidade de Kernel.Resultados: Os pontos de vendas que ofertavam, em sua maioria, alimentos ultraprocessados estavam significativamente mais próximos das escolas do que aqueles que ofertavam maioria de alimentos com menor grau de processamento. Observou-se diferença estatisticamente significativa entre a oferta desses alimentos nas diferentes categorias de comércios e entre as três regiões avaliadas. Conclusões:Os dados...

Objective: To investigate the association between neighbourhood food availability and the consumption of ready-to-consume products (RCP), either processed or ultra-processed, and unprocessed/minimally processed foods (UF-MPF) by children. Design: Cross-sectional. 24 h Dietary recalls were collected from children from January 2010 to June 2011. Neighbourhood food availability data were collected from 672 food stores located within 500 m of participants' homes, using an adapted and validated instrument. Neighbourhood-level socio-economic status (SES) was obtained by calculating the mean years of household head's education level in each census tract covered by 500 m buffers. Foods that were consumed by children and/or available in the food stores were classified based on their degree of industrial processing. Multilevel random-effect models examined the association between neighbourhood food availability and children's diets. Setting: Santos, Brazil. Subjects: Children (n 513) under 10 years old (292 aged <6 years, 221 aged ≥6 years). Results: The availability of RCP in food stores was associated with increased RCP consumption (P < 0·001) and decreased UF-MPF consumption (P < 0·001). The consumption of UF-MPF was positively associated with neighbourhood-level SES (P < 0·01), but not with the availability of UF-MPF in the neighbourhood. Conclusions: Results suggest that food policies and interventions that aim to reduce RCP consumption in Santos and similar settings should focus on reducing the availability in food stores. The results also suggest that interventions should not only increase the availability of UF-MPF in lower-SES neighbourhoods, but should strive to make UF-MPF accessible within these environments.