Assessing Support for Advantaged and Disadvantaged Groups: A Comparison of Urban Food Environments

Ryan Storr, Julia Carins and Sharyn Rundle-Thiele
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Ryan Storr: Social Marketing at Griffith, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
Julia Carins: Social Marketing at Griffith, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
Sharyn Rundle-Thiele: Social Marketing at Griffith, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-10

Abstract: Individuals from lower-socio-economic status (SES) communities have increased risk of developing obesity in developed countries such as Australia. Given the influence of the environment on dietary behaviour, this paper seeks to examine food environments in areas of differing social advantage. An established measurement tool (the NEMS—Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey), that captures aspects of support for healthy eating within restaurants (NEMS-R) and grocery/convenience stores (NEMS-S), was applied to both a high-SES and a low-SES suburb within Brisbane, Australia. The study found a significantly more supportive restaurant food environment in the high-SES suburb, with greater access to and availability of healthful foods, as well as facilitators for, reduced barriers to, and substantially more nutrition information for healthful eating. A higher number of outlets were found in the high-SES suburb, and later opening times were also observed. Overall, the results from stores (NEMS-S) suggest poor support for healthful eating across both suburbs. This study highlights how food environments in low-SES regions continue to be less supportive of healthful eating. Public health strategies must move beyond individual-focused strategies to ensure that our most disadvantaged, low-SES communities have an equal opportunity to access healthful foods.

Keywords: food environment; public health; obesity; socio-economic status; measurement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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