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

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: 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. SUBJECTS/METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is

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Article  Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 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. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin

University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia L E Thornton, D A Crawford & K Ball Authors * L E Thornton View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar *

D A Crawford View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * K Ball View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google

Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to L E Thornton. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no conflict of interest. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and

permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Thornton, L., Crawford, D. & Ball, K. Neighbourhood-socioeconomic variation in women's diet: the role of nutrition environments.

_Eur J Clin Nutr_ 64, 1423–1432 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.174 Download citation * Received: 08 April 2010 * Revised: 05 July 2010 * Accepted: 14 July 2010 * Published: 01

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socioeconomic status * neighbourhood * food intake * fast foods * fruits * vegetables