The Links Between the Neighborhood Food Environment and Childhood Nutrition

Publication Date:

Publisher:

Author(s): L. Mikkelsen; S. Chehimi; Prevention Institute

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

Research increasingly shows that those at greatest risk for dietary-related diseases—low-income children and families—face a significant but little understood impediment to getting healthy foods: their neighborhood food environment.
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The “neighborhood food environment” refers to the availability of healthy foods within a community and how easily residents can access those foods. There is a growing understanding that barriers to accessing healthy foods play a role in poor dietary decisions. It's hard to make healthy choices if healthy foods aren't available or require more effort or expense to obtain.
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This research focuses on how the neighborhood food environment influences the food choices of low-income children, ages 3 to 12, and their families.