Geographic Clustering of Fast-Food Restaurants Around Secondary Schools in Hong Kong

Cheung, Jason Tsz Him; Tang, Ka Chung; Koh, Keumseok

doi:10.5888/pcd18.200601

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…The most common food retailers consisted of small traditional shops including corner stores ('attar') and kiosks. The count of fast-food restaurants in school neighbourhoods was higher than figures reported in Hong Kong (45) , Mexico (46) and Berkshire, United Kingdom (47) but lower than those reported in New York City (48) . Yet, interpretation should be done with caution since the construct 'fast-food restaurants' might be defined differently across these studies.…”

Section: Predominance Of Unhealthy Food Exposurescontrasting

confidence: 59%

Urban school neighbourhoods dominated by unhealthy food retailers and advertisements in Greater Tunis: a geospatial study in the midst of the nutrition transition

Akl,

El-Helou,

Safadi

et al. 2024

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: Food environments are a major determinant of children’s nutritional status. Scarce evidence on food environments exists in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aims to fill this gap by documenting the obesogenicity of food environments around schools in Greater Tunis, Tunisia – an LMIC of the Middle East and North Africa region with an ongoing nutrition transition and increasing rates of childhood obesity. Design: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed built food environments around 50 primary schools. Ground-truthing was performed to collect geographic coordinates and pictures of food retailers and food advertisement-sets within an 800-meter road-network buffer of each school. Retailers and advertisement-sets were categorized as healthy or unhealthy according to a NOVA-based classification. Associations between school characteristics and retailers or advertisement-sets were explored using multinomial regression models. Setting: Greater Tunis, Tunisia. Participants: Random sample of 50 (35 private and 15 public) primary schools. Results: Overall, 3,621 food retailers and 2,098 advertisement-sets were mapped. About two thirds of retailers and advertisement-sets were labeled as unhealthy. Most retailers were traditional corner stores (22%) and only 6% were fruit and vegetable markets. The prevailing food group promoted was carbonated and sugar-sweetened beverages (22%). The proportion of unhealthy retailers was significantly higher in the richest vs. poorest areas. Conclusions: School neighborhood food environments included predominantly unhealthy retailers and advertisements. Mapping of LMIC food environments is crucial to document the impact of the nutrition transition on children’s nutritional status. This will inform policies and interventions to curb the emergent childhood obesity epidemic.

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Section: Predominance Of Unhealthy Food Exposurescontrasting

confidence: 59%

Urban school neighbourhoods dominated by unhealthy food retailers and advertisements in Greater Tunis: a geospatial study in the midst of the nutrition transition

Akl,

El-Helou,

Safadi

et al. 2024

Public Health Nutr.

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show abstract

“…46 Density and proximity were measured using spatial analysis software or global positioning system (GPS). A spatial scan statistic was used to assess whether events are randomly distributed within the study area and, if not, to identify significant spatial clusters using a straight-line distance (Euclidean distance/or buffer), 33,47 -50,51 by travel time (time needed to travel to a food outlet), 52 or by administrative areas. 35,40,53 -57 The GPS assessed the spatial location of features in the environment or people’s behaviors while moving in the environment.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Food Environment and Its Impact on Diet and Health in Asia: A Scoping Review

Gilcharan Singh,

Sinnasamy,

Wan Yi

et al. 2024

Asia Pac J Public Health

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Food environment (FE), an interface where people interact with a broader food system, is critical to health. Understanding the Asian FE may help to tackle the “triple burden of malnutrition” through informed research and policy. This review identifies FE domains assessed in the Asian context and collates the tools/measures used in these evaluations. We further synthesized the reported associations of FE with diet and health outcomes and identified knowledge gaps. Forty-two articles were reviewed (East Asia, n = 25, 60%; South Asia, n = 8, 19%; and Southeast Asia, n = 9, 21%). The results showed that FE was frequently examined in children, adolescents, or adults, but data were scarce in older adults. Food availability ( n = 30) and accessibility ( n = 19) were popularly studied domains. Furthermore, FE was measured using geographic information systems ( n = 18), market ( n = 7), or stakeholder ( n = 21) surveys. Twenty-eight (67%) articles assessed associations of FE exposures with diet ( n = 12) and health ( n = 21). Increased food availability and accessibility were associated with poorer dietary and health outcomes despite nonexisting validity and reliability reporting in 62% of articles. Limited high-quality studies emphasize the need for harmonized definitions, better study designs, and validated FE measures/tools in Asia. Improving the quality of FE research is critical to designing effective interventions to improve public health nutrition in Asia.

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“…Takeaways typically sell foods that are high in total energy, fat, salt, sugar and calories which contribute toward weight gain, diet-related health problems in children and adults globally (Davies et al, 2016;Donin et al, 2018;Filgueiras et al, 2023;Huang et al, 2021;Jaworowska et al, 2014;Jia et al, 2023;Jiang et al, 2023;Ntarladima et al, 2022). There is evidence that that takeaways are more prevalent in deprived areas and near schools in Hong Kong, Australia and England, UK (Cheung et al, 2021;Maguire et al, 2015;Smith et al, 2013;Trapp et al, 2022;Turbutt et al, 2019). There is additionally global evidence for an association between physical exposure to takeaways, takeaway food consumption, and obesity (Burgoine et al, 2016;Burgoine et al, 2014;Burgoine et al, 2018;Filgueiras et al, 2023;Jia et al, 2023;Jiang et al, 2023;Ohri-Vachaspati et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The adoption and implementation of local government planning regulations to manage hot food takeaways near schools in England: A qualitative process evaluation

Hassan,

Thompson,

Adams

et al. 2024

Preprint

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IntroductionAccess to hot food takeaways, particularly near schools, is of growing concern for policymakers seeking to reduce childhood obesity globally. In England, United Kingdom (UK), local government jurisdictions are implementing planning policies to reduce access by restricting or denying planning permission for new takeaway outlets near schools. We used a qualitative approach to explore local government officers’ perspectives on the barriers to and facilitators of the adoption, implementation, and perceived effectiveness of these policies.MethodsIn 2021-2022, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 local planning (‘planners’) and public health government officers from 15 different local authorities across England who adopted a policy to restrict new takeaways. Data were analysed thematically.ResultsParticipants explained that they mostly thought the policies facilitated the refusal of applications for new takeaways near schools. However, participants speculated that businesses identified alternative opportunities to operate including functioning as ‘restaurants’ or within other locations. Effective working relationships between planners and public health officers were important for adoption and implementation, although planning and public health agendas did not always align and there were tensions between economic development and health improvement goals. The policy was adapted to suit local needs and priorities; in some cases, the policy was not used in areas where economic growth was prioritised. Clarity in policy wording and establishing a formal process for implementing policies including a designated individual responsible for checking and reviewing takeaway applications helped ensure consistency and confidence in policy implementation.ConclusionAlthough sometimes challenging, the policies were commonly described as feasible to implement. However, they may not completely prevent new takeaways opening, particularly where takeaways are relied upon to enhance local economies or where takeaway businesses find alternative ways to operate. Nevertheless, the policies can serve to shift the balance of power that currently favours commercial interests over public health priorities.HighlightsPlanning and public health officers struggled to align economic and health agendasPolicy champions helped align agendas and push takeaway management policies forwardPolicies were adapted to avoid use where they negatively impacted economic growthEstablished processes and clearly worded policies facilitated policy implementationThe polices made it easier to deny planning permission for new takeaways

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Geographic Clustering of Fast-Food Restaurants Around Secondary Schools in Hong Kong

Cited by 6 publications

References 26 publications

Urban school neighbourhoods dominated by unhealthy food retailers and advertisements in Greater Tunis: a geospatial study in the midst of the nutrition transition

Urban school neighbourhoods dominated by unhealthy food retailers and advertisements in Greater Tunis: a geospatial study in the midst of the nutrition transition

Understanding the Food Environment and Its Impact on Diet and Health in Asia: A Scoping Review

The adoption and implementation of local government planning regulations to manage hot food takeaways near schools in England: A qualitative process evaluation

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