Neighbourhood-socioeconomic variation in women's diet: the role of nutrition environments.
OBJECTIVE
Living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods is associated with increased risk of a poor diet; however, the mechanisms underlying associations are not well understood. This study investigated whether selected healthy and unhealthy dietary behaviours are patterned by neighbourhood-socioeconomic disadvantage, and if so, whether features of the neighbourhood-nutrition environment explain these associations.


METHODS
A survey was completed by 1399 women from 45 neighbourhoods of varying levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in Melbourne, Australia. Survey data on fruit, vegetable and fast-food consumption were linked with data on food store locations (supermarket, greengrocer and fast-food store density and proximity) and within-store factors (in-store data on price and availability for supermarkets and greengrocers) obtained through objective audits. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine associations of neighbourhood disadvantage with fruit, vegetable and fast-food consumption, and to test whether nutrition environment factors mediated these associations.


RESULTS
After controlling for individual-level demographic and socioeconomic factors, neighbourhood disadvantage was associated with less vegetable consumption and more fast-food consumption, but not with fruit consumption. Some nutrition environmental factors were associated with both neighbourhood disadvantage and with diet. Nutrition environmental features did not mediate neighbourhood-disadvantage variations in vegetable or fast-food consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
Although we found poorer diets among women living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Melbourne, the differences were not attributable to less supportive nutrition environments in these neighbourhoods.
Thornton
L E
LE
Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. lukar.thornton@deakin.edu.au
Crawford
D A
DA
Ball
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004032:Diet; D057140:Fast Foods; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D005638:Fruit; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014675:Vegetables; D055815:Young Adult