W alkability-the extent to which an area is supportive of walking-is a concept that emerged from the transportation literature and has been widely adopted in health research examining the impact of the built environment on physical activity and health outcomes. 1 Factors that make neighbourhoods more walkable include pedestrian amenities such as sidewalks, crosswalks, curb cuts and traffic lights; street connectivity; mixed-land use; and the presence of a variety of destinations within walking distance, features typically found in urban more than suburban neighbourhoods. 2-4 From a public health perspective, creating more walkable neighbourhoods might be expected to lead to a healthier environment by encouraging reduced car usage and therefore lower car emissions and air pollution, and also by increasing opportunities for active transportation (physically active modes of transportation, such as walking, biking, rollerblading, skateboarding), which could increase overall levels of physical activity and decrease obesity. 5-7 Although a significant amount of research has shown that adults living in urban neighbourhoods walk more and have a lower bodymass index (BMI) than their suburban counterparts, other studies have found that this association is not consistent in all urban neighbourhoods or with all demographic groups. 4,8,9 Very little research has examined the impact of neighbourhood design on activity levels in children and youth, and the few studies that have looked specifically at youth activity have also produced mixed findings. 10-13 A study of Belgian adolescents found that they were more likely to walk and bike in less walkable neighbourhoods than more walkable neighbourhoods. 14 Other studies have found that while boys are more active in neighbourhoods that are close to commercial areas and have connected streets, girls are more active in neighbourhoods with unconnected, curvilinear, low-traffic streets. 15,16 No consistent association has been established between children's BMI and neighbourhood design, but some research suggests that certain neighbourhood characteristics may be influential. For example, neighbourhood safety and access to parks, playgrounds, recreation centres and sidewalks were significantly associated with lower BMI in girls aged 10-11 years in a US study based on a survey conducted by the National Centre for Health Statistics. 17 Higher rates of overweight and obesity were found in both boys and girls

BackgroundThis is a 2-year study to assess the early impacts of a new grocery store intervention in a former food desert.ObjectiveThe purpose of the study is to understand the early health effects of the introduction of a large-scale food and nutrition-focused community-based population health intervention, the Good Food Junction (GFJ) Cooperative Store, in a geographically bounded group of socially disadvantaged neighborhoods (the “core neighborhoods”) in a midsized Canadian city. The GFJ grocery store was tasked with improving the access of residents to healthy, affordable food. The 5 research questions are: (1) What is the awareness and perception of the GFJ store among residents of the core neighborhoods? (2) Are there differences in awareness and perception among those who do and do not shop at the GFJ? (3) Will healthy food purchasing at the GFJ by residents of the core neighborhoods change over time, and what purchases are these individuals making at this store? (4) What early impact(s) will the GFJ have on key health-related outcomes (such as household food security status, vegetable and fruit intake, key aspects of self-reported mental health, self-reported health)? and (5) Are the effects of the intervention seen for specific vulnerable population groups, such as Aboriginal people, seniors (65 years old or older) and new immigrants (settled in Saskatoon for less than 5 years)?MethodsThe research project examined initial impacts of the GFJ on the health of the residents in surrounding neighborhoods through a door-to-door cross-sectional survey of food access and household demographics; an examination of GFJ sales data by location of shoppers' residences; and a 1-year, 3-time-point longitudinal study of self-reported health of GFJ shoppers.ResultsAnalyses are on-going, but preliminary results show that shoppers are using the store for its intended purpose, which is to improve access to healthy food in a former food desert.ConclusionsTo our knowledge this is the first large-scale study of a full-service grocery store intervention in a former food desert in Canada that has used multiple data sources, as well as longitudinal analyses, to examine its effects. Its findings will contribute significantly to the knowledge base on food environment interventions.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine how pre-and early adolescent (10-14 years old) children from a wide range of neighbourhoods interact with their local food environment (FE), with a focus on the foods and food sources they access and their locations. Children in this age group are developing independence and mobility within (and beyond) their home neighbourhoods but are somewhat geographically bound as they cannot yet drive.METHODS: This research consists of qualitative interviews with 31 children (15 males, 16 females) aged 10-14 years living in socio-economically diverse neighbourhoods across Saskatoon, SK. A thematic analysis was conducted.RESULTS: Children's descriptions of what constitutes their neighbourhood FE were varied, ranging from a couple of city blocks to several kilometres from home. Children were familiar with the types of establishment that sell food within their perceived neighbourhood. When children purchased their own food they most frequently cited buying snacks such as ice cream, candy and slushes, and the majority of these purchases were made in convenience stores, gas stations and grocery stores. Few children reported frequenting fast-food or other restaurants without adults, and when they did it was usually to buy snacks such as French fries and ice cream rather than meals. CONCLUSIONS:Our results highlight the importance of interventions targeted to this age group, in which personal food choices were reported almost exclusively as being energy-but not nutrient-dense snack foods.KEY WORDS: Children; environment; diet; food and nutrition; eating La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.

Growing health inequities have led to calls for population health intervention research that can contribute to improving the health of marginalized populations, but conducting research with these communities can be challenging. When research aims to examine and understand an aspect of health in a population characterized as hard-to-reach or marginalized, recruitment techniques appear to have a significant impact on participation and sample retention in longitudinal studies. We examine and comment on the recruitment and retention techniques used in the Good Food, Healthy Families study conducted in low-income, inner-city neighborhoods in a midsized Canadian city; we hope that this will inform recruitment and retention approaches for population health intervention studies in similar populations. It is a responsibility of researchers who wish to engage with population health interventions that have the potential to improve health equity to gather information in ways that are respectful.