Ecological study of the association between socioeconomic inequality and food deserts and swamps around schools in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Background Previous research suggests that unhealthy community food environments around schools contribute to unhealthy eating habits and negative health outcomes among the youth. However, little is known about how socioeconomic inequalities in those community food environments are associated with food deserts and food swamps across schools’ neighborhoods. Methods An ecological study was carried out in all 3,159 public and private schools in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Three measures of socioeconomic inequality were evaluated: per capita income, segregation index and deprivation index. The community school food environment was analyzed by metrics of food swamps and food deserts. Results Food deserts and food swamps were simultaneously more prevalent in neighborhoods of the lowest income, high deprivation, and high segregation. Spatial socioeconomic disparities at the neighborhoods of schools were associated with food deserts and food swamps in Rio de Janeiro. Conclusions Our results point to a spatial socioeconomic inequality of establishments that sell food around schools in a Brazilian metropolis, indicating that the areas of greatest deprivation of food services are also the areas with the worst socioeconomic characteristics.

Deserts, Swamps and Food Oases: Mapping around the Schools in Bahia, Brazil and Implications for Ensuring Food and Nutritional Security

“…The assessment of the community food environment around schools has gained emphasis, mainly because studies indicate that they influence the children’s and adolescents’ food choices [ 3 , 16 , 18 ] and can affect students’ health and quality of life [ 1 , 9 , 11 , 24 ].…”

“…A study analyzed all public and private schools ( n = 1436) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and observed that cafeterias (4.10 ± 7.50), restaurants (3.60 ± 5.70), and bars (2.80 ± 2.80) were the categories that had the highest averages around schools [ 17 ]. Another study carried out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil analyzed the food environment around 3159 public and private schools and identified that coffeeshops, cafeterias, bars, and minimarkets were the most present food establishments around schools, with at least one establishment found nearby in more than 90% of schools analyzed [ 16 ]. These two studies present similarities with the present work concerning the type of food trade, emphasizing places selling industrialized products.…”

“…Bars represented the third most present category in the study by Peres et al (2021) and were in fourth place in the study by Andretti et al (2023) as well as in this study, in which bars also occupied fourth place in schools’ food environment, making up a percentage of 8.7% ( n = 35). Although these three studies were carried out in different locations in Brazil, with different consumption and income data, the presence of bars occupying a prominent position in all of them is a point of attention, as, in addition to being known for selling ready-to-eat foods with low nutritional value, according to the Family Budget Survey (POF) 2017–2018 [ 22 ], beer (65.4%) and wine (49.9%) are the items with the highest percentage of consumption outside the home among adolescents, often being related to the phase of rebellion, self-affirmation and contestation of imposed rules [ 16 , 17 , 25 ].…”

“…Food swamps are defined as neighborhoods with a predominance of food establishments selling ultra-processed foods compared to those selling healthy options [ 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. In contrast, food oases are areas with easy access to healthy and nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and other fresh foods.…”

“…Another study evaluated the community food environment and the existence of food swamps around schools in Rio de Janeiro. It showed a predominance of food establishments selling ultra-processed foods, such as bars and cafeterias around schools, which exposes children and adolescents to an unhealthy food environment [ 16 ].…”