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Relative and absolute availability of healthier food and beverage alternatives across communities in the United States

Author

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  • Zenk, S.N.
  • Powell, L.M.
  • Rimkus, L.
  • Isgor, Z.
  • Barker, D.C.
  • Ohri-Vachaspati, P.
  • Chaloupka, F.

Abstract

Objectives. We examined associations between the relative and absolute availability of healthier food and beverage alternatives at food stores and community racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and urban-rural characteristics. Methods. We analyzed pooled, annual cross-sectional data collected in 2010 to 2012 from 8462 food stores in 468 communities spanning 46 US states. Relative availability was the ratio of 7 healthier products (e.g., whole-wheat bread) to less healthy counterparts (e.g., white bread); we based absolute availability on the 7 healthier products. Results. The mean healthier food and beverage ratio was 0.71, indicating that stores averaged 29% fewer healthier than less healthy products. Lower relative availability of healthier alternatives was associated with low-income, Black, and Hispanic communities. Small stores had the largest differences: relative availability of healthier alternatives was 0.61 and 0.60, respectively, for very low-income Black and very low-income Hispanic communities, and 0.74 for very high-income White communities. We found fewer associations between absolute availability of healthier products and community characteristics. Conclusions. Policies to improve the relative availability of healthier alternatives may be needed to improve population health and reduce disparities. © 2014, American Public Health Association Inc. All rights reserved.

Suggested Citation

  • Zenk, S.N. & Powell, L.M. & Rimkus, L. & Isgor, Z. & Barker, D.C. & Ohri-Vachaspati, P. & Chaloupka, F., 2014. "Relative and absolute availability of healthier food and beverage alternatives across communities in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(11), pages 2170-2178.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2014.302113_4
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302113
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    Cited by:

    1. Bailey Houghtaling & Matthew Greene & Kaustubh V. Parab & Chelsea R. Singleton, 2022. "Improving Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility, Purchasing, and Consumption to Advance Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-12, September.
    2. Gwen M Chodur & Ye Shen & Stephen Kodish & Vanessa M Oddo & Daniel A Antiporta & Brittany Jock & Jessica C Jones-Smith, 2016. "Food Environments around American Indian Reservations: A Mixed Methods Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(8), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Lauren Giurini & Loren Lipworth & Harvey J. Murff & Wei Zheng & Shaneda Warren Andersen, 2023. "Race- and Gender-Specific Associations between Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Status and Body Mass Index: Evidence from the Southern Community Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(23), pages 1-11, November.
    4. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan, 2016. "Transforming Life: A Broad View of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Concept from an Ecological Justice Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-44, November.
    5. Megan R. Winkler & Shannon N. Zenk & Barbara Baquero & Elizabeth Anderson Steeves & Sheila E. Fleischhacker & Joel Gittelsohn & Lucia A Leone & Elizabeth F. Racine, 2020. "A Model Depicting the Retail Food Environment and Customer Interactions: Components, Outcomes, and Future Directions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-21, October.
    6. Shannon N. Zenk & Elizabeth Tarlov & Coady Wing & Stephen A. Matthews & Hao Tong & Kelly K. Jones & Lisa M. Powell, 2018. "Long-Term Weight Loss Effects of a Behavioral Weight Management Program: Does the Community Food Environment Matter?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.
    7. Yeeli Mui & Ellis Ballard & Eli Lopatin & Rachel L J Thornton & Keshia M Pollack Porter & Joel Gittelsohn, 2019. "A community-based system dynamics approach suggests solutions for improving healthy food access in a low-income urban environment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-13, May.
    8. Chelsea R. Singleton & Yu Li & Ana Clara Duran & Shannon N. Zenk & Angela Odoms-Young & Lisa M. Powell, 2017. "Food and Beverage Availability in Small Food Stores Located in Healthy Food Financing Initiative Eligible Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-12, October.
    9. Lauren Chenarides & Alessandro Bonanno & Anne Palmer, 2021. "If You Build Them… Will it Matter? Food Stores' Presence and Perceived Barriers to Purchasing Healthy Foods in the Northeastern U.S," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(3), pages 1076-1100, September.
    10. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan, 2017. "Down to Earth: Planetary Health and Biophilosophy in the Symbiocene Epoch," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-22, August.

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