The Influence of Local Food Environments on Adolescents’ Food Purchasing Behaviors

Meizi He, Patricia Tucker, Jason Gilliland, Jennifer D. Irwin, Kristian Larsen and Paul Hess
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Meizi He: University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Health and Kinesiology, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
Patricia Tucker: School of Occupational Therapy, Rm. 2547, Elborn College, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6G 1H1, Canada
Jason Gilliland: Department of Geography, Social Sciences Centre Room 1403, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
Jennifer D. Irwin: Faculty of Health Sciences, Arthur & Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building, Room 215, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Kristian Larsen: Department of Geography and Program in Planning, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
Paul Hess: Department of Geography and Program in Planning, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada

IJERPH, 2012, vol. 9, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between the neighborhood food environment and the food purchasing behaviors among adolescents. Grade 7 and 8 students (n = 810) at 21 elementary schools in London, Ontario, Canada completed a questionnaire assessing their food purchasing behaviors. Parents of participants also completed a brief questionnaire providing residential address and demographic information. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to assess students’ home and school neighborhood food environment and land use characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of the home neighborhood food environment on students’ food purchasing behaviors, while two-level Hierarchical Non-Linear Regression Models were used to examine the effects of school neighborhood food environment factors on students’ food purchasing behaviors. The study showed that approximately 65% of participants reported self-purchasing foods from fast-food outlets or convenience stores. Close proximity ( i.e. , less than 1 km) to the nearest fast-food outlet or convenience store in the home neighborhood increased the likelihood of food purchasing from these food establishments at least once per week by adolescents ( p i.e. , at least once per week; p

Keywords: child and adolescent health; environmental health; nutrition and diet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:9:y:2012:i:4:p:1458-1471:d:17207

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