Food environment, social deprivation and obesity among students from Brazilian public schools

Abstract

The findings reinforce the need for public policies that promote equality in the food environments of the city. Also, further investigations into the influence of the presence of supermarkets on the nutritional status of children and adolescents are required.

Is the local food environment associated with excess body weight in adolescents in São Paulo, Brazil?

“…Both studies detected associations between food environment characteristics and weight status. In Juiz de Fora, an inverse association was found between the density of supermarkets and hypermarkets and the prevalence of obesity 15 , while in Florianópolis, adolescents' families that used "public markets and greengrocers" and had restaurants near residences presented higher likelihoods to be overweight or obese 32 . A national schoolbased survey investigated the food environment in schools and found that schools that offered meals prepared on the school premises had lesser obesity rates for students 33 .…”

“…Several studies on adult populations have demonstrated positive associations between exposure to fast foods outlets and weight gain 28,29,30,31 . There is a paucity of studies on children and adolescents in this context, but research has rapidly been increasing in Brazil 15,16,32 . However, the methodology used to assess food environment varies between studies.…”

“…The present study, similar to studies performed by Corrêa at al. 32 and Vedovato et al 16 , used food shopping venues to classify food environment exposure, while some studies have classified the establishments based on the foods sold predominantly 15 . These differences, in addition to the particularities in each place of study, illustrate the complexity of characterizing the food environment and may explain the diverse findings.…”

“…Few Brazilian research studies have simultaneously investigated the relationship between food environment and adolescent obesity. A study performed on children (aged 7-10 years) and adolescents (aged 11-14 years) from public schools in Juiz Fora, Minas Gerais State, showed that the lowest deprivation level had a higher density of establishments predominantly selling unhealthy foods (e.g., candy shops, cafeterias, fast food restaurants, and corner stores) 15 . An inverse association was found between the density of supermarkets and the presence of obesity.…”

Changing young people’s food-related behaviour: a socio-ecological perspective

“…Five articles (9)(10)(11)(12)(13) in this issue of Public Health Nutrition highlight a range of issues related to the food environment and educational settings, and it is worthwhile to consider how the results of the different studies could contribute to the ongoing discourse about the food environment in and around schools and how individuals act in and interact with this environment.…”