title: Do marginalized neighbourhoods have less healthy retail food environments? An analysis using Bayesian spatial latent factor and hurdle models.
abstract: Findings of whether marginalized neighbourhoods have less healthy retail food environments (RFE) are mixed across countries, in part because inconsistent approaches have been used to characterize RFE 'healthfulness' and marginalization, and researchers have used non-spatial statistical methods to respond to this ultimately spatial issue.
  
  
  
  This study uses in-store features to categorize healthy and less healthy food outlets. Bayesian spatial hierarchical models are applied to explore the association between marginalization dimensions and RFE healthfulness (i.e., relative healthy food access that modelled via a probability distribution) at various geographical scales. Marginalization dimensions are derived from a spatial latent factor model. Zero-inflation occurring at the walkable-distance scale is accounted for with a spatial hurdle model.
  
  
  
  Neighbourhoods with higher residential instability, material deprivation, and population density are more likely to have access to healthy food outlets within a walkable distance from a binary 'have' or 'not have' access perspective. At the walkable distance scale however, materially deprived neighbourhoods are found to have less healthy RFE (lower relative healthy food access).
  
  
  
  Food intervention programs should be developed for striking the balance between healthy and less healthy food access in the study region as well as improving opportunities for residents to buy and consume foods consistent with dietary recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Environment, School of Planning, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada. h3luan@uwaterloo.ca.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9884-8509
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luan
authors.affiliation: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Leia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Minaker
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Environment, School of Planning, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada.|Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health System, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Law
mesh_terms: D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002170:Canada; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D004777:Environment; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: Bayesian analysis; Neighbourhood marginalization; Retail food environment; Spatial hurdle model; Spatial latent factor model