Understanding the relationship between food environments, deprivation and childhood overweight and obesity: Evidence from a cross sectional England-wide study

Andreea Cetateanu,Andy Jones

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.01.007

Abstract

Using a large cross sectional English sample, we quantified the association between weight status in children aged 4–5 and 10–11 year, characteristics of the food environment, and area deprivation. We observed a positive association between the density of unhealthy food outlets in a neighbourhood and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children. An association in the opposite direction was observed for other types of food outlets, although after adjustment this was only statistically significant for older children. The prevalence of fast food and other unhealthy food outlets explained only a small proportion of the observed associations between weight status and socioeconomic deprivation. Children׳s weight status may be influenced by their local environment, particularly older children, but associations between obesity and deprivation do not appear strongly due to local food environment characteristics.

Highlights

There is a growing body of evidence that points towards an epidemic of obesity amongst children, in highly industrialised countries (Daniels, 2006)
Absence was due to data suppression associated with low numbers of children participating in the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) in some areas
This study found that geographical variations in measured characteristics of the food environment were associated with the prevalence of overweight and obesity in English children participating in the National Child Measurement Programme

Summary

Introduction

There is a growing body of evidence that points towards an epidemic of obesity amongst children, in highly industrialised countries (Daniels, 2006). The causes of the obesity epidemic are undoubtedly multifactorial (Finegood et al, 2010; Vandenbroeck et al, 2007). Much attention has recently focussed on how changes to the built environment may be drivers via their influence on physical activity and dietary behaviours (Frank et al, 2007; Gordon-Larsen et al, 2006; Singh et al, 2010). One aspect of the environment that may be important in children is the availability of outlets selling lowcost energy dense foods,which appeal to the young n Corresponding author at: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7 TJ, UK.

Methods

Results

Conclusion