Social inequalities in the surrounding areas of food deserts and food swamps in a Brazilian metropolis

Abstract

Background Food deserts are neighborhoods with little or no access to healthy food, whereas food swamps are neighborhoods where unhealthy food options prevail over healthy ones. The main aims of the current study are to feature and compare the neighborhoods of food deserts and food swamps based on social inequality. Methods Ecological study carried out in Belo Horizonte City, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Information about commercial food establishments derived from two different databases. It was measured by secondary governmental databases, which were virtually conferred in the present study. Census tracts were considered as analysis units and classified as food deserts and food swamps, based on the Brazilian methodology. Take into consideration the density of establishments classified as selling fresh or minimally-processed food, mixed establishments, and establishments selling ultra-processed food. The Brazilian methodology evaluates food deserts by the density of healthy establishments (establishments classified as mostly selling fresh or minimally-processed food and mixed establishments) per 10 thousand inhabitants. And the metric to evaluate food swamps considers the density of unhealthy establishments (establishments mostly selling ultra-processed food) per 10 thousand inhabitants. Information about social inequalities comprised aspects such as income, population count, number of households, number of literate individuals, race, water and energy supply, and garbage collection. The Health Vulnerability Index (HVI) was used as a synthetic social vulnerability indicator. Results Neighborhoods of food deserts presented worse essential service availability, lower income per capita, and smaller mean number of literate individuals. Census tracts classified as food swamps presented better socio-demographic conditions than those areas food deserts. Neighborhoods simultaneously classified as food deserts and food swamps presented lower income per capita and were more often observed in census sectors presenting medium and high HVI. Conclusion The food environment in Belo Horizonte was featured by the strong presence of food deserts and food swamps. However, the potential influence of these areas on food intake has changed depending on social inequalities.

Food and Nutrition Education Using Intuitive Method and NOVA Food Classification: Implications for Food Practices of Children and Adolescents Intuitive Method in Food and Nutrition Education

“…29 As the socio-economic status of the family can deeply impact food choice and the possibility of engaging in physical activity and healthy behaviors 30 and, as the present study was carried out with low-income children and adolescents, these outcomes is even more positive since FNE interventions contributed to stimulate a healthy behavior even though the food environment of this audience may be unfavorable, mainly in the offer of quality in natura and minimally processed food. 31 Other studies that have conducted community based FNE actions have found an improvement in food variability in children, even in areas of food insecurity, 30 such as those from the present study, as well as a decrease in the intake of ultraprocessed products and an increase in the consumption of natural foods. 32 Additionally, an increase in the consumption and purchase of healthy foods has been found to be detrimental to the consumption of sugary and salt-rich foods after interventions.…”

“…As the socio-economic status of the family can deeply impact food choice and the possibility of engaging in physical activity and healthy behaviors 30 and, as the present study was carried out with low-income children and adolescents, these outcomes is even more positive since FNE interventions contributed to stimulate a healthy behavior even though the food environment of this audience may be unfavorable, mainly in the offer of quality in natura and minimally processed food. 31…”

“…It was found that the older the age, the more chances the student had to settle the issue regarding which nutrient should not be consumed in excess; that is, adolescents tended to have more chances to increase their knowledge on this issue after being subjected to different interventions than did younger children. This may have occurred due to the increased hypothetical-deductive capacity and autonomy characteristic of the cognitive development of this age, in which the subject reaches moral consciousness, and from there, the adolescents’ attitudes and duties are guided based on their significance and accuracy, 31 which were built up in this study through interventions. Lastly, since the intentional consideration of place was part of the non-random assignment of institutions to duration of intervention, it is possible there may be differences in unmeasured organizational or social characteristics, even though the results related to the duration are consistent with the literature.…”

Ultra-Processed Food Availability and Sociodemographic Associated Factors in a Brazilian Municipality

“…In our study, it was possible to observe that in the socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, there are less food retailers available, and when they are available, they present a high score for the availability of ultra-processed foods, unlike the central areas of the city where there is a greater diversity of food retailers and with a lower score for ultra-processed foods. In Brazil, other studies have also found that the most peripheral neighborhoods have difficult access to markets that sell fresh and healthy food and are more likely to have zones of food deserts or food swamps ( 47 ). Some hypotheses may explain this phenomenon in the most peripheral areas, among them: the unequal amount of public supply equipment ( 48 ) that ensures access to healthy foods such as food street markets, farmers markets, community gardens, and grocery stores that are usually located in more central areas of cities ( 26 ); lower-income communities had limited economic access to healthy food compared with the wealthier ones ( 22 , 49 ).…”

Fatores associados ao consumo de alimentos segundo o grau de processamento na Atenção Primária à Saúde

“…Este fato pode estar atrelado à situação da população brasileira, segundo a qual indivíduos negros muitas vezes possuem menor renda e escolaridade. 32,33 Corroborando nossos achados, outro estudo realizado com dados do Vigitel de edições anteriores apontou que negros apresentaram menor consumo de alimentos in natura, como frutas e hortaliças, em relação aos indivíduos brancos. 34 Uma possível justificativa para este fato é que a cor de pele negra está relacionada à condição socioeconômica desfavorável, devido a piores condições de trabalho, menores salários e restrições no acesso a informações e serviços.…”