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Do 'food deserts' influence fruit and vegetable consumption?--A cross-sectional study
Tim Pearson1, Jean Russell, Michael J Campbell
1Public Health GIS Unit, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, Sheffield S1 4DA, UK.
Appetite
|June 2, 2005
Summary
This study found that food deserts, characterized by price, deprivation, and supermarket access, did not impact fruit and vegetable intake. Socio-cultural attitudes towards food are suggested as a more influential factor for dietary improvement.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
Background:
- Limited access to affordable healthy foods is a suspected contributor to poor dietary habits.
- Food deserts, defined by factors like price, deprivation, and supermarket proximity, are hypothesized to negatively impact diet.
- Understanding the relationship between food access and dietary intake is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between dietary intake of fruits and vegetables and access to supermarkets, transportation, food prices, and socioeconomic deprivation.
- To identify key predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption within a diverse geographical and socioeconomic region.
- To inform food policies aimed at improving public diet.
Main Methods:
- A postal survey of 1000 households collected data on demographics, food shopping habits, mobility, and fruit and vegetable intake.
- Geocoding was used to determine the distance to the nearest supermarket and the deprivation index for each participant's postcode.
- A shopping basket survey assessed fruit and vegetable prices, and generalized linear regression models analyzed predictors of intake.
Main Results:
- Male grocery shoppers consumed less fruit than female shoppers, and vegetable consumption showed a slight increase with age.
- Key elements of a food desert—including fruit and vegetable prices, socioeconomic deprivation, and distance to supermarkets—were not significantly associated with fruit or vegetable intake.
- Difficulties with grocery shopping also did not show a significant association with dietary intake.
Conclusions:
- The study's findings suggest that the commonly cited components of food deserts do not significantly influence fruit and vegetable consumption in the studied population.
- Socio-cultural attitudes towards food are proposed as a more critical area for intervention to improve dietary habits.
- Future food policies should consider shifting focus from physical access and price to addressing underlying cultural factors influencing food choices.