TY - GEN
T1 - Spatial Relationship Between Diet Diversity, the Food Environment and Transport
T2 - International Conference on Health and Environmental Resilience and Livability in Cities - The challenge of climate change, HERL 2023
AU - Eichinger, Michelle
AU - May, Julian
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Food and nutrition insecurity are prevalent issues in South Africa with health consequences. The country is seeing a paradox of diet quality resulting in the double-burden of malnutrition. While affordability and food preferences contribute to diet behaviour, the food environment influences diet patterns and food purchasing behaviour. This study examined the spatial relationship between nutrient security, purchasing behaviours and accessing the food environment. This study focused on Worcester, South Africa, a secondary city about 112 km from Cape Town. Through household surveys (n = 657), demographic, diet log within the last 24 h, food purchasing and transport behaviour data were collected. All surveys included GPS coordinates of the residence. Diet diversity score, measured by the diet log, was used as a proxy to measure nutrient security, with scores less than 4 indicating nutrition insecurity. In addition, all food retailers in the area were codified by type (supermarket, spaza, produce market, etc.) and geocoded. All minibus taxi ranks and routes were mapped. Regression and spatial analyses were performed using R Statistical Software and ArcGIS Pro. Diet Diversity scores averaged at 4 with little variation by income type. Results showed neighbourhood-level clustering of food and diet patterns with an overlapping density of spaza shops. Further, there was a spatial relationship of supermarket and spaza proximity whereas diet is more diverse near supermarkets while spazas provided a protection against food insecurity. While many residents walked to shops, taxi ranks were commonly used for larger purchases. Results from this study can inform local economic and planning officials on the relationship between the transport, food environment and nutrient security, thus providing evidence to support strategies aimed at improving healthy food availability in areas with higher rates of nutrient insecurity. These findings can help planners in prioritizing areas for healthy food accessibility.
AB - Food and nutrition insecurity are prevalent issues in South Africa with health consequences. The country is seeing a paradox of diet quality resulting in the double-burden of malnutrition. While affordability and food preferences contribute to diet behaviour, the food environment influences diet patterns and food purchasing behaviour. This study examined the spatial relationship between nutrient security, purchasing behaviours and accessing the food environment. This study focused on Worcester, South Africa, a secondary city about 112 km from Cape Town. Through household surveys (n = 657), demographic, diet log within the last 24 h, food purchasing and transport behaviour data were collected. All surveys included GPS coordinates of the residence. Diet diversity score, measured by the diet log, was used as a proxy to measure nutrient security, with scores less than 4 indicating nutrition insecurity. In addition, all food retailers in the area were codified by type (supermarket, spaza, produce market, etc.) and geocoded. All minibus taxi ranks and routes were mapped. Regression and spatial analyses were performed using R Statistical Software and ArcGIS Pro. Diet Diversity scores averaged at 4 with little variation by income type. Results showed neighbourhood-level clustering of food and diet patterns with an overlapping density of spaza shops. Further, there was a spatial relationship of supermarket and spaza proximity whereas diet is more diverse near supermarkets while spazas provided a protection against food insecurity. While many residents walked to shops, taxi ranks were commonly used for larger purchases. Results from this study can inform local economic and planning officials on the relationship between the transport, food environment and nutrient security, thus providing evidence to support strategies aimed at improving healthy food availability in areas with higher rates of nutrient insecurity. These findings can help planners in prioritizing areas for healthy food accessibility.
KW - Diet diversity
KW - Food accessibility
KW - Food environment
KW - Food security
KW - Spatial analysis
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85199605656
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85199605656#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-54911-3_3
DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-54911-3_3
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85199605656
SN - 9783031549106
SN - 9783031549137
T3 - Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation
SP - 31
EP - 41
BT - Urban Resilience, Livability, and Climate Adaptation
A2 - Pigliautile, Ilaria
A2 - Piselli, Cristina
A2 - Karunathilake, Hirushie Pramuditha
A2 - Fabiani, Claudia
PB - Springer Nature
Y2 - 14 March 2023 through 15 March 2023
ER -