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Issues in Measuring the Healthiness of Food Environments and Interpreting Relationships with Diet, Obesity and Related Health Outcomes

Version 2 2024-06-06, 09:38
Version 1 2019-04-11, 15:13
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-06, 09:38 authored by Gary SacksGary Sacks, E Robinson, Adrian CameronAdrian Cameron
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is a broad consensus that policies to create healthier food environments are needed to address obesity. However, previous reviews of the relationships between the healthiness of food environments and diet/obesity-related outcomes have typically reported either mixed associations or none at all. This paper aimed to synthesise measurement and interpretation issues in this field, based on findings from previous reviews. RECENT FINDINGS: Key issues, drawn from 14 previous reviews in the last decade, included: (1) the use of measures of the food environments that are too narrow in scope; (2) inadequate measures of the way in which people are exposed to, and interact with, food environments; and (3) large heterogeneity in tools and methods used. To evaluate the impact of food environments on diet and health, composite measures of the healthiness of food environments, informed by actual usage patterns, need to be developed and consistently applied.

History

Journal

Current Obesity Reports

Volume

8

Pagination

98-111

Location

United States

ISSN

2162-4968

eISSN

2162-4968

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Issue

2

Publisher

SPRINGER