Urban Retail Food Environments: Relative Availability and Prominence of Exhibition of Healthy vs. Unhealthy Foods at Supermarkets in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Natalia Elorriaga,Daniela L Moyano,Ana S Cavallo,Camila B Panaggio,Laura Gutierrez,María V López,Vilma Irazola

doi:10.3390/ijerph18030944

Abstract

There is growing evidence that the food environment can influence diets. The present study aimed to assess the relative availability and prominence of healthy foods (HF) versus unhealthy products (UP) in supermarkets in Buenos Aires, Argentina and to explore differences by retail characteristics and neighborhood income level. We conducted store audits in 32 randomly selected food retails. Food availability (presence/absence, ratio of cumulative linear shelf length for HF vs. UP) and prominence inside the store (location visibility) were measured based on the International Network for Food and Obesity/NCDs Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) protocol. On average, for every 1 m of shelf length for UP, there was about 25 cm of shelf length for HF (HF/UP ratio: 0.255, SD 0.130). UP were more frequently available in high-prominence store areas (31/32 retails) than HF (9/32 retails). Shelf length ratio differed across commercial chains (p = 0.0268), but not by store size or type. Retails in the lower-income neighborhoods had a lower HF/UP ratio than those in the higher-income neighborhoods (p = 0.0329). Availability of the selected HF was overcome largely by the UP, particularly in high prominence areas, and in neighborhoods with lower income level, which may pose an opportunity for public health interventions.

Highlights

Obesity rates are increasing in Latin America and globally [1,2]
Characteristics andSupermarkets geographical location of stores included in the study
Our results indicate that in the supermarkets of the city, the shelf length devoted to the four categories of unhealthy food products was on average four times as large as the shelf length assigned to the five healthy food categories, suggesting an obesogenic retail food environment

Summary

Introduction

Obesity rates are increasing in Latin America and globally [1,2]. In Argentina, 68% of adults and 41% of children and adolescents aged 5–18 are overweight or obese [3].the obesity prevalence in Argentina shows a clear inverse association with income and educational level [3,4]. Obesity rates are increasing in Latin America and globally [1,2]. Like other countries in the region, the dietary pattern of the population in Argentina has shifted in recent years as a result of cultural changes and modifications in food accessibility, such as an increase in the consumption of ultraprocessed products and a decrease in the consumption of healthy fresh and minimally processed foods such as fruit, vegetables and pulses [1,5,6,7]. In 2013, the average expenditure per household in ultra-processed products represented 28% of the total expenditure on foods and beverages nationwide, being higher in locations with a higher level of urbanization [8]. The role of unhealthy food environments in shaping transitioning diets in low- and

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Discussion

Conclusion