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. 2013 Jul;16(7):1229-37.
doi: 10.1017/S1368980013000505. Epub 2013 Mar 6.

Neighbourhood and consumer food environment is associated with dietary intake among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants in Fayette County, Kentucky

Alison Gustafson  1 , Sarah Lewis, Sarah Perkins, Corey Wilson, Elizabeth Buckner, Ann Vail
Affiliations

Neighbourhood and consumer food environment is associated with dietary intake among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants in Fayette County, Kentucky

Alison Gustafson et al. Public Health Nutr. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the association between dietary outcomes and the neighbourhood food environment (street network distance from home to stores) and consumer food environment (Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey-Stores (NEMS-S) audit).

Design: The neighbourhood food environment was captured by creating 0?5-mile and 1-mile network distance (street distance) around each participant’s home and the nearest food venue (convenience store, grocery store, supermarket, farmers’ market and produce stand). The consumer food environment was captured by conducting NEMS-S in all grocery stores/supermarkets within 0?5 and 1 mile of participants’ homes.

Setting: Fayette County, KY, USA.

Subjects: Supplemental Nutrition Assessment Program (SNAP) participants, n 147.

Results: SNAP participants who lived within 0?5 mile of at least one farmers’ market/produce stand had higher odds of consuming one serving or more of vegetables (OR56?92; 95% CI 4?09, 11?69), five servings or more of grains (OR51?76; 95% CI 1?01, 3?05) and one serving or more of milk (OR53?79; 95% CI 2?14, 6?71) on a daily basis. SNAP participants who lived within 0?5 mile of stores receiving a high score on the NEMS-S audit reported higher odds of consuming at least one serving of vegetables daily (OR53?07; 95% CI 1?78, 5?31).

Conclusions: Taken together, both the neighbourhood food environment and the consumer food environment are associated with a healthy dietary intake among SNAP participants.

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