Neighbourhood deprivation and community nutrition environment: associations between the social and built environment and food availability

Abstract

Eating habits are influenced by individual socioeconomic status (SES). As the association between neighbourhood characteristics and food availability is still unclear, we investigated the community nutrition environment in different neighbourhoods. Using official data of the city of Leipzig, we selected three neighbourhoods which differed in terms of their social (2 deprived vs. 1 affluent) and built (1 large housing estates vs. 2 historic buildings) environment. Data on food outlets were assessed via direct observation (ground truthing). Social and residential environment characteristics are associated with food availability. The proportion of fast food outlets is higher in deprived neighbourhoods compared to the affluent one (25%, 30.4% vs. 13.5%). Neighbourhoods with historic buildings offer a greater variety of food outlets. The greater availability of unhealthy food may contribute to the development of obesity. Preventive measures should consider the physical and social environment.