Neighbourhood-socioeconomic variation in women's diet: the role of nutrition environments

Living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods is associated with increased risk of a poor diet; however, the mechanisms underlying associations are not well understood. This study

investigated whether selected healthy and unhealthy dietary behaviours are patterned by neighbourhood-socioeconomic disadvantage, and if so, whether features of the neighbourhood–nutrition

environment explain these associations.

A survey was completed by 1399 women from 45 neighbourhoods of varying levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in Melbourne, Australia. Survey data on fruit, vegetable and fast-food consumption

were linked with data on food store locations (supermarket, greengrocer and fast-food store density and proximity) and within-store factors (in-store data on price and availability for

supermarkets and greengrocers) obtained through objective audits. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine associations of neighbourhood disadvantage with fruit, vegetable and

fast-food consumption, and to test whether nutrition environment factors mediated these associations.

After controlling for individual-level demographic and socioeconomic factors, neighbourhood disadvantage was associated with less vegetable consumption and more fast-food consumption, but

not with fruit consumption. Some nutrition environmental factors were associated with both neighbourhood disadvantage and with diet. Nutrition environmental features did not mediate

neighbourhood-disadvantage variations in vegetable or fast-food consumption.

Although we found poorer diets among women living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Melbourne, the differences were not attributable to less supportive nutrition environments in these

neighbourhoods.

We are grateful to Rebecca Roberts for assistance with geospatial analyses and Nick Andrianopoulos for advice on the statistical approach. This study was funded by the Australian Research

Council (DP0665242) and the National Heart Foundation of Australia (G02M 0658). LT is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Capacity Building Grant, ID 425845; KB is

supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellowship, ID 479513; and D is supported by a VicHealth Research Fellowship.

Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia

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