TY - JOUR
T1 - Healthy food availability and the association with BMI in Baltimore, Maryland
AU - Casagrande, Sarah Stark
AU - Franco, Manuel
AU - Gittelsohn, Joel
AU - Zonderman, Alan B.
AU - Evans, Michele K.
AU - Fanelli Kuczmarski, Marie
AU - Gary-Webb, Tiffany L.
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - Objective To study the association between the availability of healthy foods and BMI by neighbourhood race and socio-economic status (SES).Design Trained staff collected demographic information, height, weight and 24 h dietary recalls between 2004 and 2008. Healthy food availability was determined in thirty-four census tracts of varying racial and SES composition using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Stores in 2007. Multilevel linear regression was used to estimate associations between healthy food availability and BMI.Setting Baltimore City, Maryland, USA.Subjects Adults aged 30-64 years (n 2616) who participated in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study.Results Among individuals living in predominantly white neighbourhoods, high availability of healthy foods was associated with significantly higher BMI compared with individuals living in neighbourhoods with low availability of healthy food after adjustment for demographic variables (β = 322, P = 0001). Associations were attenuated but remained significant after controlling for dietary quality (β = 281, P = 0012).Conclusions Contrary to expectations, there was a positive association between the availability of healthy food and higher BMI among individuals living in predominantly white neighbourhoods. This result could be due to individuals in neighbourhoods with low healthy food availability travelling outside their neighbourhood to obtain healthy food.
AB - Objective To study the association between the availability of healthy foods and BMI by neighbourhood race and socio-economic status (SES).Design Trained staff collected demographic information, height, weight and 24 h dietary recalls between 2004 and 2008. Healthy food availability was determined in thirty-four census tracts of varying racial and SES composition using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Stores in 2007. Multilevel linear regression was used to estimate associations between healthy food availability and BMI.Setting Baltimore City, Maryland, USA.Subjects Adults aged 30-64 years (n 2616) who participated in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study.Results Among individuals living in predominantly white neighbourhoods, high availability of healthy foods was associated with significantly higher BMI compared with individuals living in neighbourhoods with low availability of healthy food after adjustment for demographic variables (β = 322, P = 0001). Associations were attenuated but remained significant after controlling for dietary quality (β = 281, P = 0012).Conclusions Contrary to expectations, there was a positive association between the availability of healthy food and higher BMI among individuals living in predominantly white neighbourhoods. This result could be due to individuals in neighbourhoods with low healthy food availability travelling outside their neighbourhood to obtain healthy food.
KW - BMI
KW - Healthy food availability
KW - Socio-economic status
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U2 - 10.1017/S1368980010003812
DO - 10.1017/S1368980010003812
M3 - Article
C2 - 21272422
AN - SCOPUS:79956075643
SN - 1368-9800
VL - 14
SP - 1001
EP - 1007
JO - Public health nutrition
JF - Public health nutrition
IS - 6
ER -