African Americans' access to healthy food options in South Los Angeles restaurants.
OBJECTIVE
We examined availability and food options at restaurants in less affluent (target area) and more affluent (comparison area) areas of Los Angeles County to compare residents' access to healthy meals prepared and purchased away from home. We also considered environmental prompts that encourage the purchase of various foods.


METHODS
We designed an instrument to assess the availability, quality, and preparation of food in restaurants. We also assessed advertisements and promotions, cleanliness, and service for each restaurant. We assessed 659 restaurants: 348 in the target area and 311 in the comparison area.


RESULTS
The nutritional resource environment in our target area makes it challenging for residents to eat healthy away from home. Poorer neighborhoods with a higher proportion of African American residents have fewer healthy options available, both in food selections and in food preparation; restaurants in these neighborhoods heavily promote unhealthy food options to residents.


CONCLUSIONS
Environment is important in understanding health status: support for the healthy lifestyle associated with lower risks for disease is difficult in poorer communities with a higher proportion of African American residents.
Lewis
LaVonna Blair
LB
School of Policy, Planning and Development, University of Southern California, 650 Childs Way, Ralph and Goldy Lewis Hall Room 309, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626, USA. llewis@usc.edu
Sloane
David C
DC
Nascimento
Lori Miller
LM
Diamant
Allison L
AL
Guinyard
Joyce Jones
JJ
Yancey
Antronette K
AK
Flynn
Gwendolyn
G
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012147:Restaurants