Examining the associations between the food environment and dietary intake in British Columbia: a cross-sectional...

To characterise neighbourhood food environments in British Columbia (BC) and determine whether food environment characteristics are associated with fruit and vegetable (FV) intake.

A cross-sectional study using geospatial linkage of food environment measures within 1 km residential buffers, analysed with mixed-effects models SETTING: Urban neighbourhoods in BC, Canada.

Approximately 25 000 adults aged 35-69 years from the BC Generations Project cohort.

FV intake as a continuous variable (servings/day) and as a binary measure (<5 or ≥5 servings/day).

Approximately 50% of participants lived in neighbourhoods without chain grocery stores, fast-food outlets or convenience stores within walking distance. Neighbourhoods in the highest density category for fast-food outlets were associated with lower odds of consuming ≥5 servings of FV per day (OR=0.89, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.98). Associations between chain grocery stores, convenience stores and FV intake were attenuated after adjusting for neighbourhood characteristics including walkability, and material and social deprivation.

The findings suggest limited neighbourhood access to retail food outlets across urban areas in BC. Participants living in neighbourhoods with greater density of fast-food restaurants were less likely to consume >5 servings of FV per day. Further studies are needed to better understand the null findings and additional factors that may be associated with dietary intake.