Perceived and objective measures of the food store environment and the association with weight and diet among low-income women in North Carolina

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to highlight the similarities and differences between perceived and objective measures of the food store environment among low-income women and the association with diet and weight. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of food store environment. Store level was characterized by: (i) the availability of healthy foods in stores where participants shop, using food store audits (objective); and (ii) summary scores of self-reported perception of availability of healthy foods in stores (perceived). Neighbourhood level was characterized by: (i) the number and type of food stores within the census tract (objective); and (2) summary scores of self-reported perception of availability of healthy foods (perceived). Setting: Six counties in North Carolina. Subjects: One hundred and eighty-six low-income women. Results: Individuals who lived in census tracts with a convenience store and a supercentre had higher odds of perceiving their neighbourhood high in availability of healthy foods (OR 5 6?87 (95 % CI 2?61, 18?01)) than individuals with no store. Overall, as the number of healthy foods available in the store decreased, the probability of perceiving that store high in availability of healthy foods increased. Individuals with a supercentre in their census tract weighed more (2?40 (95 % CI 0?66, 4?15) kg/m 2 ) than individuals without one. At the same time, those who lived in a census tract with a supercentre and a convenience store consumed fewer servings of fruits and vegetables (21?22 (95 % CI 22?40, 20?04)). Conclusions:The study contributes to a growing body of research aiming to understand how the food store environment is associated with weight and diet.The environment in which a person lives and works can facilitate or impede the accessibility, availability and affordability of healthy food (1) . These latter three variables, in turn, may influence individuals' weight and the quality of their diet (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7) . Widespread recognition of the relationship between the built environment, health status and food choices has led to growing interest in measuring aspects of the food store environment (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15) . However, few studies have examined both subjective (16,17) and objective measures of the food store environment and their association with weight and diet quality (7,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) . Perceived and objective measures each provide unique data that, taken together, can elucidate important factors operating at both the individual and the neighbourhood level. Subjective perceptions about food access and availability, for example, may shape individuals' food purchasing habits (23) and frequency of shopping (24) . Objective neighbourhood-level measures, such as in-store food audits or information on store type (collected on-site or from national databases), can supplement perceptual measures, documenting actual food availability in a given locality.

Geographic scale matters in detecting the relationship between neighbourhood food environments and obesity risk: an analysis of driver license records in Salt Lake County, Utah

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Reprodutibilidade de questões acerca da percepção do ambiente alimentar e acerca do consumo de frutas e hortaliças entre gestantes

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Improving Diet in Low-Income Neighborhoods: Leveraging the Food Environment for Change

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