title: The importance of a multi-dimensional approach for studying the links between food access and consumption.
abstract: Research on neighborhood food access has focused on documenting disparities in the food environment and on assessing the links between the environment and consumption. Relatively few studies have combined in-store food availability measures with geographic mapping of stores. We review research that has used these multi-dimensional measures of access to explore the links between the neighborhood food environment and consumption or weight status. Early research in California found correlations between red meat, reduced-fat milk, and whole-grain bread consumption and shelf space availability of these products in area stores. Subsequent research in New York confirmed the low-fat milk findings. Recent research in Baltimore has used more sophisticated diet assessment tools and store-based instruments, along with controls for individual characteristics, to show that low availability of healthy food in area stores is associated with low-quality diets of area residents. Our research in southeastern Louisiana has shown that shelf space availability of energy-dense snack foods is positively associated with BMI after controlling for individual socioeconomic characteristics. Most of this research is based on cross-sectional studies. To assess the direction of causality, future research testing the effects of interventions is needed. We suggest that multi-dimensional measures of the neighborhood food environment are important to understanding these links between access and consumption. They provide a more nuanced assessment of the food environment. Moreover, given the typical duration of research project cycles, changes to in-store environments may be more feasible than changes to the overall mix of retail outlets in communities.
authors.affiliation: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112-2699, USA. diego@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: J Nicholas
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Bodor
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.forename: Chris M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Swalm
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans
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