Understanding the Density and Distribution of Restaurants in Los Angeles County to Inform Local Public Health Practice

Abstract

IntroductionTo describe the potential reach of restaurant-based strategies that seek to improve the healthfulness of menu options, it is important to understand the local restaurant environment, including the extent to which restaurants subject to policy mandates are located in communities disproportionately affected by diet-related diseases.MethodsThis cross-sectional study examined the restaurant environment in Los Angeles County, a large jurisdiction with diverse geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, specifically 1) the number and characteristics of restaurants; 2) the association between neighborhood sociodemographics and restaurant density; and 3) the association between neighborhood sociodemographics and restaurant characteristics, including chain status (large chain, small chain, independent restaurant). Data sources were 1) industry data on restaurant location and characteristics (N = 24,292 restaurants) and 2) US Census data on neighborhood sociodemographics (N = 247 neighborhoods). We conducted descriptive and bivariate analyses at the restaurant and neighborhood level.ResultsCountywide, only 26.5% of all restaurants were part of a large chain (a chain with ≥20 locations). We found positive associations between restaurant density and neighborhood proportions of non-Hispanic white residents and residents with more than a high school education. We found limited support to suggest a greater density of large chains in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status.ConclusionResults highlight the potentially limited reach of strategies targeting chain restaurants and point to the importance of including small chain restaurants and independent restaurants in public health efforts to improve the healthfulness of restaurants. Understanding where restaurants are in relation to priority populations is a critical step to planning strategies that address diet-related disparities.

Perceptions, barriers and enablers on salt reduction in the out-of-home sectors in Malaysia (MySaltOH) from the perspective of street food vendors, caterers and consumers

“…In the current study, consumers highlighted limited awareness and knowledge among food operators in reducing salt during cooking as a significant barrier to salt reduction. This observation supports the findings from studies conducted in the USA (30) and Korea (31) . Food operators in this study also expressed a similar sentiment, suggesting that this lack of awareness might stem from the absence of a standardised guideline for reference.…”

“…Another potential strategy to gain consumer acceptance lies in introducing reduced-salt menus. According to Michael et al ( 27 ) , the lack of menu and food variety can impede salt reduction in the out-of-home sector in the USA ( 30 ) , UK ( 45 ) and Korea ( 46 ) , especially when many offerings are high in salt content. Therefore, creating menus designed to offer reduced-salt options could be a strategic approach to catering to consumer preferences while simultaneously promoting healthier choices.…”

Population Health, Place, and Space: Spatial Perspectives in Chronic Disease Research and Practice

“…Geospatial studies are uniquely designed to examine the contextual characteristics of communities that may affect opportunities for chronic disease prevention and treatment. The contextual characteristics addressed in this collection, Population Health, Place, and Space: Spatial Perspectives in Chronic Disease Research and Practice, range from underlying context (such as neighborhood deprivation [1], racial segregation [2], social capital [3], and resiliency [4]) to the built environment (walkability [5,6], park access [7], and healthy restaurants [8]) and environmental exposures (9). The study comparing cardiovascular disease-resilient neighborhoods with cardiovascular disease-at-risk neighborhoods examines the important, but understudied, concept of neighborhood resiliency as it affects black populations (4).…”

Isolated or Colocated? Exploring the Spatio-Temporal Evolution Pattern and Influencing Factors of the Attractiveness of Residential Areas to Restaurants in the Central Urban Area

“…In addition, the rise of online delivery (O2O) has led to a new round of changes in the location-dependent model of low-grade restaurants [22][23][24]. Since then, most studies have been based on the actual distance metric to identify the gathering centers and spatial autocorrelation characteristics of the restaurant industry in large cities [25,26], explore the locational characteristics and influencing factors of the customer perception experience [27] and calculate correlations with the demographic characteristics of neighborhood communities [28,29]. Previous research on the attractiveness of functional elements within cities has focused on the regular influence of spatial elements on the behavior of residents, including the attractiveness of the commercial center to consumers [30], urban waterfronts to recreational activities [31] and residential neighborhood characteristics to living spaces [32].…”