The Impact of Proximity to Wet Markets and Supermarkets on Household Dietary Diversity in Nanjing City, China

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of the proximity to wet markets and supermarkets on urban household dietary diversity in Nanjing. Based on the data collected through a citywide survey in 2015 and the map data of wet markets and supermarkets, the Poisson regression model was deployed to examine the correlations between geographical proximity to supermarkets and wet markets and household dietary diversity. The result shows that the coefficients for the distance to the nearest wet market are not statistically significant. Although the coefficients for the distance to nearest supermarket are statistically significant, they were too minor to reach a practical importance. We argue, however, that the insignificant correlations reflect exactly the high physical accessibility to food outlets and the extensive spatially dense food supply network constituted by wet markets, supermarkets and small food stores in Nanjing, due in part to the food infrastructure development planning in Nanjing that has ensured relatively equal and convenient access to wet markets or supermarkets for all households. Our findings are verified by the survey data that more than 90% of households purchased fresh food items within their neighborhoods or in walking distance. In addition to the densely distributed food outlets, various other factors contributed to the non-significant influence of the distance to the nearest wet market and supermarket, in particular, the numerous small food stores within or close to residential communities, the prevalence of three-generation extended household structure and the high household income.

Modernization of African Food Retailing and (Un)healthy Food Consumption

“…Other traditional retailers-such as traditional markets and neighborhood kiosks-may also be affected negatively by further supermarket expansion, but to a lesser extent than grocery stores. These types of competitive relationships between modern and traditional retailers are in line with earlier observations in Asia, Europe, and the USA [26,40,[42][43][44].…”

“…However, especially in Africa, relatively little is known about what type of consumers actually use modern supermarkets and to what extent. Moreover, focusing only on supermarkets may be misleading, as most consumers obtain their food from various modern and traditional retailers [8,[25][26][27].…”

Factors determining household-level food insecurity during COVID-19 epidemic: a case of Wuhan, China

“…Household size : This indicates the number of household members. In a study of second-tier Chinese cities similar to Wuhan, there was a statistically significant relationship between household size and household food diversity ( 33 ). As in regional conflicts, the size of the household was related to the likelihood of receiving relief ( 34 ).…”

Impact of neighbourhood food environment on diet and obesity in China: a systematic review

“…Walking distance to a convenience store was not associated with children's consumption of unhealthy snacks or fruit/vegetables (23) . Distance to a wet market was not associated with urban households' diet diversity, and access to a supermarket had limited influence on households' dietary diversity (24) . Number of food stalls and fast-food restaurants was not associated with the frequency of eating away from home (20) .…”

“…The primary reasons for exclusion are lack of neighbourhood food environment measures, no outcome reported on diet and obesity, and participants' residence outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. The remaining seventeen studies that examined the relationship between neighbourhood food environment and diet and/or body weight status were included in the review (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33) .…”