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Bridging the Gap in Studies on the Food Environment: The State-of-the-Art in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Interests: nutritional epidemiology; urban health; food environment; food consumption

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Guest Editor
Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Interests: nutrition; noncommunicable diseases; nutritional epidemiology and food environment

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Interests: maternal and child health; health promotion and prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and conditions; nutritional epidemiology and food environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food systems can impact the health of populations in different ways, and they have been identified as one of the drivers of the global syndemic of undernutrition, obesity, and climate change. One of the components of food systems is the food environment, defined as the physical, economic, political, and socio-cultural context through which individuals interact with the food system to make choices about food, including how to acquire, store, prepare, distribute, and consume food. Knowledge and understanding of food environments are fundamental to informing public policies and interventions to modify food environments and influence food choice and, consequently, reduce malnutrition in all its forms and nutrition-related disease burden. However, research on this theme is most often conducted in high-income countries; for this reason, food environments must be characterised in different places, such as LMICs (low-and middle-income countries). Papers addressing the research of food environment and health in LMICs are invited for this Special Issue, especially those that focus on specific realities and that address gaps identified in the food environment literature, such as the use of valid and reliable instruments to collect primary data; longitudinal, intervention, and qualitative studies; representative samples; adopting conceptual models to formulate questions; evaluation of informal markets; evaluation of different dimensions of food environment; interconnection between different food environments; interconnection between digital and physical environment; inclusion of the sustainability dimension; among others. 

Prof. Dr. Mariana Carvalho de Menezes
Dr. Larissa Loures Mendes
Dr. Ariene Silva do Carmo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • food environment
  • nutrition environment
  • low- and middle-income countries
  • food system
  • food stores
  • food retail
  • environmental health
  • community food environment
  • organizational food environment
  • consumer food environment
  • information food environment
  • home food environment
  • digital food environment
  • built environment
  • social environment
  • food swamp
  • food desert
  • food labelling
  • food promotion
  • food price

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 308 KiB  
Article
Changes in Availability and Affordability on the University Food Environment: The Potential Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Patrícia Maria Périco Perez, Maria Eduarda Ribeiro José, Isabella Fideles da Silva, Ana Cláudia Mazzonetto and Daniela Silva Canella
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(12), 1544; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121544 - 21 Nov 2024
Viewed by 213
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the eating habits of the general population, among other reasons, because it has affected access to commercial establishments since some of them closed. This study aimed to describe potential changes that occurred between 2019 [...] Read more.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the eating habits of the general population, among other reasons, because it has affected access to commercial establishments since some of them closed. This study aimed to describe potential changes that occurred between 2019 and 2022 in the availability and affordability of food and beverages in the food environment of a Brazilian public university. Methods: Cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted at a public university located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Audits were carried out in all establishments selling food and beverages at the university’s main campus in 2019 and 2022. Descriptive analysis with frequencies and means was carried out and the 95% confidence intervals were compared. Results: Over the period, there was a decrease in the on-campus number of establishments, dropping from 20 to 14, and ultra-processed foods became more prevalent. In general, the decrease in the number of establishments led to a reduction in the supply of fresh or minimally processed foods and beverages, and higher average prices were noted. Conclusions: The pandemic seems to have deteriorated the availability and the prices of healthy food in the university food environment, making healthy choices harder for students and the university community. Full article
16 pages, 1711 KiB  
Article
Association Between the Food Environment Around Schools and Food Consumption of Adolescents in Large and Small Municipalities in Southern Brazil
by Maria Beatriz Carolina da Silva, Katiany Claudete Pinheiro, Gabriele Rockenbach, Patrícia de Fragas Hinnig, Maria Gabriela Matias de Pinho, Lidiamara Dornelles de Souza, Adalberto A. S. Lopes, Francisco de Assis Guedes de Vasconcelos and Elizabeth Nappi Corrêa
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1524; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111524 - 16 Nov 2024
Viewed by 485
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between the consumption of healthy and unhealthy food markers among adolescents enrolled in the ninth grade of elementary school in municipal public schools and the food environment around the schools in two municipalities of different [...] Read more.
This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between the consumption of healthy and unhealthy food markers among adolescents enrolled in the ninth grade of elementary school in municipal public schools and the food environment around the schools in two municipalities of different sizes, located in Southern Brazil. The data were collected between 2022 and 2023, with 449 adolescent participants. Of these, 347 were students from the municipality of Florianópolis, and 102 were students from the municipality of Governador Celso Ramos, all aged between 13 and 17 years. The establishments located around the schools were evaluated using AUDITNOVA, an instrument that investigates the environmental dimension and food dimension. The consumption of healthy eating markers (beans, vegetables, and fresh fruits) and unhealthy eating markers (ultra-processed foods, soft drinks, sweets, and fried snacks) among students was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Statistically significant associations were observed between the food environment around the school and the consumption of unhealthy food markers (OR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.41–0.98 p = 0.041) but only in the large municipality. No significant associations were found in the students’ food consumption in the small municipality. A significant association between the school food environment and adolescents’ consumption of unhealthy foods was observed in Florianópolis. Healthy food consumption was low among students in the small municipality, Governador Celso Ramos. Full article
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14 pages, 1001 KiB  
Article
Conceptual Model on Access to Food in the Favela Food Environment
by Luana Rocha, Daniela Canella, Raquel Canuto, Mariana Jardim, Letícia Cardoso, Amelia Friche and Larissa Mendes
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1422; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111422 - 26 Oct 2024
Viewed by 591
Abstract
The inequalities of Brazilian society are amplified in favelas, affecting access to basic sanitation, health, education services, and food. More research is needed to better understand the favela food environment and propose appropriate public food and nutrition policies to increase the availability of [...] Read more.
The inequalities of Brazilian society are amplified in favelas, affecting access to basic sanitation, health, education services, and food. More research is needed to better understand the favela food environment and propose appropriate public food and nutrition policies to increase the availability of and access to healthy food. In this context, this study aimed to develop a conceptual model of the relationship between access to food and the favela food environment and its determinants. In developing the conceptual model, this study undertook a bibliographical survey of the food environment, and a preliminary version was submitted to an expert panel. The model represents a set of dimensions (individual, micro-environment, macro-environment, and decision-making) and elements that interact in a complex manner and help understand access to food in areas subject to multiple social vulnerabilities. This model can guide future research and aid policymakers in designing effective strategies to improve the food security and health of populations in areas of high socio-spatial vulnerability. Full article
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