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 < 0.05). High fast-food outlet density in both home and school neighborhoods was associated with increased fast-food purchasing by adolescents (i.e., at least once per week; p < 0.05). In conclusion, macro-level regulations and policies are required to amend the health-detracting neighborhood food environment surrounding children and youth’s home and school.
Highlights
Childhood obesity is a burgeoning public health concern worldwide
The current study contributes to an understanding of the influence of the neighborhood food environment on adolescents’ food purchasing behaviors
Self purchasing of junk foods were not very prevalent in this age group, our results suggest that the closer adolescents live to fast-food outlets and convenience stores, the more likely they are to purchase food from these outlets when a parent or guardian is not around
Summary
Childhood obesity is a burgeoning public health concern worldwide. In Canada, nearly one in three children and youth are either overweight or obese [1,2], with an problematic occurrence in the United States [3]. High levels of junk- and fast-food consumption, along with the increase in sedentary behaviors of children and adolescents are considered the leading causes of the dramatic rise in prevalence rates of childhood obesity in recent decades [4]. Children and adolescents can be encouraged to increase their self-control when facing temptation, and can be equipped with knowledge and skills to help understand the context of their life choices, the environments in which they dwell, play, and go to school are linked to behaviors that encourage or discourage healthy bodyweights. Research has identified that the physical environment surrounding children’s and adolescents’ home and schools, including the accessibility and availability of fast-food outlets and convenience stores may negatively impact their food choices [5,6,7]
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