(DOWNLOAD) "Demographic and Urban Form Correlates of Healthful and Unhealthful Food Availability in Montreal, Canada (Quantitative Research) (Report)" by Canadian Journal of Public Health ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Demographic and Urban Form Correlates of Healthful and Unhealthful Food Availability in Montreal, Canada (Quantitative Research) (Report)
- Author : Canadian Journal of Public Health
- Release Date : January 01, 2009
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 295 KB
Description
Prevalence rates of obesity and overweight have risen in Canada (1) and will grow higher with an increasing prevalence of overweight/ obesity among youth. (2,3) Societal shifts to increased dietary intake of energy-dense food and reduced energy expenditure underpin rising rates of overweight/obesity around the globe. (4,5) Canadians now obtain 30% of daily calories from nutrient-weak, energy-dense foods, (6) and more than 50% of Canadians fail to meet daily requirements of fruit and vegetable consumption, (7) widely promoted for protective effects on cardiovascular diseases (8-10) and cancer. (11,12) These risk behaviours do not arise in a vacuum. A growing literature recognizes the role of environmental factors in predisposing, enabling and reinforcing risk behaviours related to overweight/obesity. (13-15) Neighbourhood disadvantage is one such factor which has been linked to unhealthful dietary behaviour (16,17) and risk of cardio-metabolic diseases. (18-20) Associations between neighbourhood disadvantage and unhealthful diets have been partly explained by neighbourhood variations in sources of healthful and unhealthful food. (21) Availability of these food sources has recently been shown to be associated with overweight/obesity, (22-25) and greater mortality and rates of admission for acute coronary syndromes. (26) Availability of these same food sources has also been shown to vary with neighbourhood characteristics. For instance, studies in the United States demonstrate that economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods and those with high proportions of visible minorities have a lower availability of stores selling healthful foods (27-29) and a greater availability of fast-food outlets (30-32) relative to more advantaged neighbourhoods or those with fewer minorities. Research in Canada, (33,34) the United Kingdom, (35,36) Australia, (37) and New Zealand38 has similarly indicated that area-level socio-economic status (SES) is inversely related to the density of fast-food outlets. The inverse relation found in the US between area-level disadvantage and stores offering healthful foods has not, however, been observed by studies in the UK39 or Australia. (40) Similarly, recent Canadian investigations have found disparities in access to fresh fruits and vegetables or supermarkets in Montreal, (41,42) London, (43) and Edmonton, (34) but such disparity has not been clearly explained by neighbourhood SES.