Individual behavior to make healthy choices can occur only in a supportive environment with accessible and affordable healthy food choices. This article presents an overview of food environments and strategies for creating healthy eating environments. An ecological framework is presented for conceptualizing the many food environments and conditions that influence food choices, followed by a discussion of key environmental factors organized by specific settings—home, child care, schools, worksites, retail food stores, and restaurants—as well as broader macro-level issues such as U.S. food and agriculture policy and food marketing. Issues of disparities in food access for lower-income and racial and ethnic minority groups are highlighted. Measurement and evaluation issues in conducting environmental and policy research and surveillance in various settings are also discussed.
Published: April 2008
ID #: 1081
Journal: Annu Rev Public Health
Authors: Story M, Kaphingst KM, Robinson-O’Brien R, Glanz K
Keywords: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Commodity foods, Competitive foods, Food advertising, Food outlet, Grocery store, Home, Media, Nutrition standards, Restaurant, School meal programs, Supermarket
Focus Areas: Early Childhood, Food Access, Food Marketing, Nutrition Policy & Programs, Pricing & Economics, School & After School
Resource Type: Journal Article
Related Research
January 2025
Beyond Food Assistance: A Scoping Review Examining Associations of Nonfood Social Safety Net Programs in the United States With Food Insecurity and Nutrition Outcomes
This scoping review aims to summarize the state of the evidence on associations between participation in nonfood social safety net programs (eg, income assistance, housing assistance) in the United States and food- and nutrition insecurity–related outcomes. Six databases were systematically searched for peer-reviewed articles. Included articles (n = 65) reported on studies that examined 10 unique social MoreJanuary 2025
A Systematic Review: The Impact of COVID-19 Policy Flexibilities on SNAP and WIC Programmatic Outcomes
The objective of this study was to explore the impact of policy flexibilities deployed during the COVID-19 public health emergency on access, enrollment/retention, benefit utilization, and perceptions of SNAP and WIC. The review identified 37 eligible articles. Twelve studies evaluated policy flexibilities in SNAP only, 21 in WIC only, and 4 in both programs. Across MoreDecember 2024