Report
Retail Food Access and Obesity Prevalence: Mapping Variation across the United States
Policy File
Urban Institute
13 Mar 2023
Abstract
Obesity has increased rapidly during the last few decades and is a significant risk factor for many chronic diseases, often resulting in higher rates of morbidity and mortality. The role of eating behaviors and individual food choices, as well as the growing array of clinical tools to reduce obesity at the individual level, has received extensive attention as public health researchers seek to understand why the rate of obesity in the US has escalated so rapidly in a relatively short period. But the focus on individual actions and tailored clinical management can obscure how the larger environment shapes the available choices and opportunities, particularly for those in communities where obesity is common. A central feature of that environment is the quality of food access. We explore how access to different types of retail food stores --- which may in turn shape the foods that consumers choose --- varies widely across the US, with particular attention to areas with higher rates of obesity.
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Details
- Title
- Retail Food Access and Obesity Prevalence
- Creators
- Elaine Waxman - URBAN_INSTITUTE_(USA)_(WASHINGTON)Barbara Butrica - URBAN_INSTITUTE_(USA)_(WASHINGTON)Vincent Pancini - URBAN_INSTITUTE_(USA)_(WASHINGTON)Paola Echave - URBAN_INSTITUTE_(USA)_(WASHINGTON)Loni Tabb - Drexel UniversityTimothy Waidmann - URBAN_INSTITUTE_(USA)_(WASHINGTON)
- Publication Details
- Policy File
- Publisher
- Urban Institute
- Number of pages
- 51
- Resource Type
- Report
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Urban Health Collaborative
- Identifiers
- 991021011999304721