This study aimed to assess the relative impact of the home food environment on children’s diet after the introduction of a new supermarket in a food desert. This study builds upon a natural experiment to longitudinally examine the food-purchasing behaviors and diets among a randomly selected population of households in two major Pittsburgh food desert neighborhoods, one of which underwent a transformation by obtaining a full-service supermarket in 2013. Parental diet was assessed before and after the opening of the supermarket. The home environment and children’s intake of fruits and vegetables was measured only after the store’s opening. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the pathways between changes in parental dietary quality at follow-up and children’s dietary intake through the home environment. The study found that parental dietary improvement after the supermarket was opened was indirectly and positively associated with children’s healthy dietary behaviors through family nutrition and physical activity patterns.
Published: March 2017
ID #: 71502
Journal: Obes Sci Pract
Authors: Florez KR, Richardson AS, Ghosh-Dastidar MB, et al.
Age Groups: Adults and Families, Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)
Race/Ethnicity: African American or Black
Keywords: Community setting, Food insecurity, Food outlet, Fruits and vegetables, Grocery store, Healthy food financing, Home, Supermarket, Urban
Focus Areas: Diet Quality & Healthy Weight, Food Access
Resource Type: Journal Article
State: Pennsylvania
Related Research
December 2013
Assessing the Relative Impact of Home-Food and Local-Supermarket Environments on Children’s Diets in Low-Resource African American Neighborhoods
This study will take advantage of a unique natural experiment to evaluate the ways in which the home food environment modifies the effects of a new full-service supermarket on children’s diet in a low-resource, urban, African American neighborhood. The study has two specific aims: 1) to determine the effect of the new supermarket on children’s MoreJanuary 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 2024