Disparities in obesity prevalence due to variation in the retail food environment: three testable hypotheses

• Published in: Nutrition reviews Vol. 66; no. 4; pp. 216 - 228
• Main Authors: Ford, P.B, Dzewaltowski, D.A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.04.2008; International Life Sciences Institute; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Commerce - economics; Commerce - standards; disease prevalence; disparities; eating habits; Environment; Ethnic Groups; Fast food industry; food access; food availability; food choices; food environment; food purchasing; Food Supply - economics; Food Supply - standards; grocery stores; Health Behavior - ethnology; Humans; literature reviews; Medical research; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Groups; nationalities and ethnic groups; neighborhood effects; neighborhoods; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - etiology; Prevalence; Quality; retail marketing; Risk; Risk Factors; sociodemographic characteristics; Socioeconomic Factors; socioeconomic status; supermarkets; United States - epidemiology; United States; North America; America; United States > US; Human; disparities; Obesity; food environment; Prevalence; neighborhood effects; Nutrition disorder; Socioeconomic study; Review; Epidemiology; food access; Minority; Environment; Disparity; Nutritional status; Public health; Food
• ISSN: 0029-6643; 1753-4887
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2008.00026.x

Although the overall population in the United States has experienced a dramatic increase in obesity in the past 25 years, ethnic/racial minorities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations have a greater prevalence of obesity, as compared to white, and/or economically advantaged populations. Disparities in obesity are unlikely to be predominantly due to individual psychosocial or biological differences, and they may reflect differences in the built or social environment. The retail food environment is a critical aspect of the built environment that can contribute to observed disparities. This paper reviews the literature on retail food environments in the United States and proposes interrelated hypotheses that geographic, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in obesity within the United States are the result of disparities in the retail food environment. The findings of this literature review suggest that poor-quality retail food environments in disadvantaged areas, in conjunction with limited individual economic resources, contribute to increased risk of obesity within racial and ethnic minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.