Abstract
The purpose of this convergent, multiphase, mixed methods study was to better understand the perceptions of adolescents’ food environments and related food behaviors using grounded visualization and story mapping. Adolescents from one high school (13–16 years) in the southeastern United States were evaluated via data from health behavior surveys (n = 75), school environment maps, focus groups (n = 5 groups), and Photovoice (n = 6) from October 2016 to April 2017. Data from each phase were integrated using grounded visualization and new themes were identified (n = 7). A story map using ArcGIS Online was developed from data integration, depicting the newly identified themes. Participants failed to meet national recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake (2.71 cups). Focus group and Photovoice findings indicated the need for convenience food items in all environments. The story map is an online, interactive dissemination of information, with five maps, embedded quotes from focus groups, narrative passages with data interpretation, pictures to highlight themes, and a comparison of the participants’ food environments. Story mapping and qualitative geographic information systems (GIS) approaches may be useful when depicting adolescent food environments and related food behaviors. Further research is needed when evaluating story maps and how individuals can be trained to create their own maps.
Highlights
The built environment has been studied as a contributing factor to the increased exponential changes in the prevalence of obesity over the last fifty years [1,2,3,4]
Of 262 food sources identified in the school’s 3-mile buffer zone, 154 (58.8%) were restaurants, primarily fast food or quick service
Much of the data derived from both qualitative and quantitative strands of data were reflective of current literature regarding adolescent food environments, including issues related to convenience, use of fast food restaurants as a food source, and busy schedules that limit family meals [7,8,52,53]
Summary
The built environment has been studied as a contributing factor to the increased exponential changes in the prevalence of obesity over the last fifty years [1,2,3,4]. The food environment is defined as places where individuals can acquire food items, such as restaurants, grocery stores, farmers’ markets, convenience stores, workplaces, schools, and home [5,6]. Three primary food environments have been identified that influence food choice and consumption: school, the community, and home [7,8]. With rates of adolescent obesity steadily increasing in the last decade, researchers continue to investigate environmental and policy approaches to address the epidemic [9]. Evidence of the relationship between obesity and food environments, for adolescents, is mixed, and methods used to analyze these environments typically focus on either neighborhood level data or perceptions of the environment [10,11,12,13]
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