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Impact of neighbourhood food environment on food consumption in children aged 9-10 in the UK SPEEDY study

Paula Skidmore , Ailsa Welch , Esther van Sluijs , Andy Jones , Andy Jones , Flo Harrison , Simon Griffin , Aedin Cassidy

Objective: Since childhood nutrition is important for future health, and rates of obesity are rising, we determined the relationship between access to a range of food outlets and children’s food choice. Design: Children (n=1721) aged 9-10 who participated in a cross-sectional study from a sample of state and private schools across urban and rural areas. Setting: Norfolk, England. Subjects: Boys (754) and girls (966) aged 9-10 years. Methods: Food consumption was reported using a short, validated FFQ. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to determine access to local food outlets. Regression analyses were performed to determine relationships between distance to and density of food outlets. Results: Following multi-variable adjustment, the impact of distance to or density of food outlets on food choice was small. Close proximity to supermarkets was associated with unhealthy food choices, resulting in reduced consumption of fruits (0.12 portions per week/per 1km increase in distance to nearest supermarket, p<0.05) and vegetables (0.11 portions per week, p<0.05). Close proximity to convenience stores was also associated with an increased consumption of crisps, sweets, chocolate and white bread. A high density of supermarkets was associated with a significant increase in vegetable intake (0.37 portions, p<0.05), but was also associated with increased intakes of unhealthy foods. Conclusions: Whilst our findings show that the impact of distance to and density of food outlets on food choice were small, the effects of individual foods combined could be important, particularly as even small differences in intake can impact on body weight over time.

Public Health Nutrition, 1-9

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