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. 2020 Feb 19;17(4):1321.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17041321.

Food Retail Environments in Greater Melbourne 2008-2016: Longitudinal Analysis of Intra-City Variation in Density and Healthiness of Food Outlets

Cindy Needham  1 , Liliana Orellana  2 , Steven Allender  1 , Gary Sacks  1 , Miranda R Blake  1 , Claudia Strugnell  1
Affiliations

Food Retail Environments in Greater Melbourne 2008-2016: Longitudinal Analysis of Intra-City Variation in Density and Healthiness of Food Outlets

Cindy Needham et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Obesity prevalence is inequitably distributed across geographic areas. Food environments may contribute to health disparities, yet little is known about how food environments are evolving over time and how this may influence dietary intake and weight. This study aimed to analyse intra-city variation in density and healthiness of food outlets between 2008 and 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. Food outlet data were classified by location, type and healthiness. Local government areas (LGAs) were classified into four groups representing distance from the central business district. Residential population estimates for each LGA were used to calculate the density of food outlets per 10,000 residents. Linear mixed models were fitted to estimate the mean density and ratio of 'healthy' to 'unhealthy' food outlets and food outlet 'types' by LGA group over time. The number of food outlets increased at a faster rate than the residential population, driven by an increasing density of both 'unhealthy' and 'healthy' outlets. Across all years, ratios of 'unhealthy' to 'healthy' outlets were highest in LGAs located in designated Growth Areas. Melbourne's metropolitan food environment is saturated by 'unhealthy' and 'less healthy' food outlets, relative to 'healthy' ones. Melbourne's urban growth areas had the least healthy food environments.

Keywords: diet; food environment; food retail; obesity; urban growth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Local government areas classified by ring-like placement around Melbourne’s Central Business District (LGA-Rings). Local Government Areas: Yellow = Inner Ring; Red = Middle Ring; Purple = Outer Ring; Blue = Growth Areas.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Density of healthy, less healthy and unhealthy food outlets over the period 2008–2016 across local government areas grouped by distance from Greater Melbourne Central Business District (LGA-Rings).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ratio of Unhealthy and Less Healthy to Healthy food outlets over the period 2008–2016 and across local government areas grouped by distance from Greater Melbourne Central Business District (LGA-Ring).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Food retail outlets grouped by type: density per 10,000 population over the period 2008-2016 and across local government areas grouped by distance from Greater Melbourne Central Business District.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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