Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive profile of the availability of limited service food outlets surrounding public schools in British Columbia, Canada.
Methods
Data from the 2010 Canadian Business Data Files were used to identify limited service food outlets including fast food outlets, beverage and snack food stores, delis and convenience stores. The number of food outlets within 800 metres of 1,392 public schools and the distance from schools to the nearest food outlets were assessed. Multivariate regression models examined the associations between food outlet availability and school-level characteristics.
Results
In 2010, over half of the public schools in BC (54%) were located within a 10–12 minute walk from at least one limited service food outlet. The median closest distance to a food outlet was just over 1 km (1016 m). Schools comprised of students living in densely populated urban neighbourhoods and neighbourhoods characterized by lower socio-economic status were more likely to have access to limited service food outlets within walking distance. After adjusting for school-level median family income and population density, larger schools had higher odds of exposure to food vendors compared to schools with fewer students.
Conclusion
The availability of and proximity to limited service food outlets vary widely across schools in British Columbia and school-level characteristics are significantly associated with food outlet availability. Additional research is needed to understand how food environment exposures inside and surrounding schools impact students’ attitudes, food choices and dietary quality.
Key words: Food, schools, geographic information systems
Résumé
Objectif
Notre étude vise à dresser un profil descriptif de la présence des débits de restauration à services limités autour des écoles publiques en Colombie-Britannique (Canada).
Méthode
À l’aide de données sur les entreprises canadiennes (fichiers Canadian Business Data 2010), nous avons identifié les débits de restauration à services limités: restaurants rapides, magasins de boissons et de grignotines, charcuteries et dépanneurs. Nous avons calculé le nombre de débits de restauration à 800 mètres des 1 392 écoles publiques et la distance entre les écoles et les débits de restauration les plus proches. En utilisant des modèles de régression multivariée, nous avons étudié les associations entre la présence de débits de restauration et les caractéristiques au niveau des écoles.
Résultats
En 2010, plus de la moitié des écoles publiques de la C.-B. (54 %) étaient situées à 10 ou 12 minutes de marche d’au moins un débit de restauration à services limités. La distance médiane la plus proche d’un débit de restauration était d’un peu plus de 1 km (1 016 m). Les écoles dont les élèves habitaient des quartiers urbains densément peuplés et des quartiers à faible statut socioéconomique étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir accès à des débits de restauration à services limités à distance de marche. Après avoir apporté des ajustements en fonction du revenu familial médian et de la densité de population au niveau des écoles, nous avons constaté que la probabilité d’exposition aux commerces d’alimentation était plus élevée pour les grandes écoles que pour les écoles ayant peu d’élèves.
Conclusion
La présence et la proximité de débits de restauration à services limités varient beaucoup d’une école à l’autre en Colombie-Britannique, et les caractéristiques au niveau des écoles présentent une corrélation significative avec la présence de débits de restauration. Il faudrait pousser la recherche pour comprendre en quoi l’environnement alimentaire à l’intérieur et autour de l’école a une incidence sur les attitudes, les choix alimentaires et la qualité du régime des élèves.
Mots clés: aliments, établissement scolaire, systèmes d’information géographique
Footnotes
Acknowledgements/Funding Sources: Funding for this project came from the British Columbia Ministry of Health. Sincere thanks to Natalie Work and the BC Ministries of Citizens’ Services and Education for providing school-level data and geographic coordinates. Stuart Fleming also provided valuable GIS assistance.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
References
- 1.Shields M. Overweight and obesity among children and youth. Health Reports. 2006;17(3):27–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Ball GD, McCargar LJ. Childhood obesity in Canada: A review of prevalence estimates and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Can J Appl Physiol. 2003;28(1):117–40. doi: 10.1139/h03-010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Janssen I, Shields M, Craig CL, Tremblay MS. Prevalence and secular changes in abdominal obesity in Canadian adolescents and adults, 1981 to 2007–2009. Obesity Rev. 2010;12:397–405. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00815.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.Briefel RR, Crepinsek MK, Cabili C, Wilson A, Gleason PM. School food environments and practices affect dietary behaviors of US public school children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(Suppl.2):S91–S107. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.10.059. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 5.Finkelstein DM, Hill EL, Whitaker RC. School food environments and policies in US public schools. Pediatrics. 2008;122(1):e251–e259. doi: 10.1542/peds.2007-2814. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6.Winson A. School food environments and the obesity issue: Content, structural determinants, and agency in Canadian high schools. Agr Hum Values. 2008;25(4):499–511. doi: 10.1007/s10460-008-9139-8. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
- 7.Dietitians of Canada. Healthy Eating and Food Security; Promising Strategies for BC, dy2010. 2012. [Google Scholar]
- 8.Province of British Columbia. ActNowBC, Healthy Schools, 2010. 2012. [Google Scholar]
- 9.BC Ministry of EducationMinistry of Health. Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools. 2012. [Google Scholar]
- 10.Frieden TR, Dietz W, Collins J. Reducing childhood obesity through policy change: Acting now to prevent obesity. Health Aff. 2010;29(3):357–63. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0039. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 11.Institute of Medicine. Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2009. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 12.Sturm R, Cohen DA. Zoning for health? The year-old ban on new fast-food restaurants in South LA. Health Aff (Millwood) 2009;28(6):w1088–97. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.6.w1088. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 13.Mair J, Pierce M, Teret S. The use of zoning to restrict Fast Food Outlets: A potential strategy to combat obesity, 2005. 2012. [Google Scholar]
- 14.Larson N, Neumark-Sztainer D, Laska MN, Story M. Young adults and eating away from home: Associations with dietary intake patterns and weight status differ by choice of restaurant. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(11):1696–703. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2011.08.007. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 15.Paeratakul S, Ferdinand DP, Champagne CM, Ryan DH, Bray GA. Fast-food consumption among US adults and children: Dietary and nutrient intake profile. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103(10):1332–38. doi: 10.1016/S0002-8223(03)01086-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 16.Zenk SN, Powell LM. US secondary schools and food outlets. Health Place. 2008;14(2):336–46. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.08.003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 17.Simon PA, Kwan D, Angelescu A, Shih M, Fielding JE. Proximity of fast food restaurants to schools: Do neighborhood income and type of school matter? Prev Med. 2008;47(3):284–88. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.02.021. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 18.Austin SB, Melly SJ, Sanchez BN, Patel A, Buka S, Gortmaker SL. Clustering of fast-food restaurants around schools: A novel application of spatial statistics to the study of food environments. Am J Public Health. 2005;95(9):1575–81. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.056341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 19.Kipke MD, Iverson E, Moore D, Booker C, Ruelas V, Peters AL, et al. Food and park environments: Neighborhood-level risks for childhood obesity in east Los Angeles. J Adolesc Health. 2007;40(4):325–33. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.10.021. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 20.Neckerman KM, Bader MD, Richards CA, Purciel M, Quinn JW, Thomas JS, et al. Disparities in the food environments of New York City public schools. Am J Prev Med. 2010;39(3):195–202. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.05.004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 21.Seliske LM, Pickett W, Boyce WF, Janssen I. Density and type of food retailers surrounding Canadian schools: Variations across socioeconomic status. Health Place. 2009;15(3):903–7. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.11.001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 22.Kestens Y, Daniel M. Social inequalities in food exposure around schools in an urban area. Am J Prev Med. 2010;39(1):33–40. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.03.014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 23.BC Ministry of Education. School Mailing and Courier Information, 2011. 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 24.Canada Post. Addressing Guidelines 5.2., 2012. 2012. [Google Scholar]
- 25.BC Ministry of Education. 2006 BC School-Level Census Attributes. 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 26.Pitney Bowes Software Canada Inc. Canadian Business Data January 2010 Update Product Guide. 2010. [Google Scholar]
- 27.Sturm R. Disparities in the food environment surrounding US middle and high schools. Public Health. 2008;122(7):681–90. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2007.09.004. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 28.Spence J, Cutumisu N, Edwards J, Raine K, Smoyer-Tomic K. Relation between local food environments and obesity among adults. BMC Public Health. 2009;9(1):192. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-192. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 29.Day PL, Pearce J. Obesity-promoting food environments and the spatial clustering of food outlets around schools. Am J Prev Med. 2011;40(2):113–21. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.10.018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 30.Institut national de santé publique du Québec. Geographical analysis of the accessibility of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores around public schools in Quebec. Montréal, QC: INSPQ; 2010. [Google Scholar]
- 31.Garriguet D. Canadians’ eating habits. Health Rep. 2007;18(2):17–32. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 32.Lytle LA, Seifert S, Greenstein J, McGovern P. How do children’s eating patterns and food choices change over time? Results from a cohort study. Am J Health Promot. 2000;14(4):222–28. doi: 10.4278/0890-1171-14.4.222. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 33.Black JL, Carpiano RM, Fleming S, Lauster N. Exploring the distribution of food stores in British Columbia: Associations with neighbourhood socio-demographic factors and urban form. Health & Place. 2011;17(4):961–70. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2011.04.002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 34.Bader MDM, Ailshire JA, Morenoff JD, House JS. Measurement of the local food environment: A comparison of existing data sources. Am J Epidemiol. 2010;171(5):609–17. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwp419. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 35.Naylor PJ, Bridgewater L, Purcell M, Ostry A, Wekken SV. Publically funded recreation facilities: Obesogenic environments for children and families? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010;7(5):2208–21. doi: 10.3390/ijerph7052208. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]