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Background/Objectives The recent upsurge in online food delivery options has reshaped the food market. The aim of this study was to examine between-city differences and within-city socioeconomic differences in the number of online meal delivery options, meal types, and meal prices. Subjects/Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in three international cities within high-income countries. Across 10 sampled addresses in Chicago (USA), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and Melbourne (Australia), meal delivery options provided by a major international meal delivery company were sampled. Bonferroni adjusted Chi.sup.2-tests were conducted to assess between-city differences as well as within-city socioeconomic differences in price levels. Results Across the 10 sampled addresses in each city, there were n = 1668 delivery options in Chicago, n = 1496 in Amsterdam and n = 1159 in Melbourne. In total, 10,220 keywords (representing 148 different meal types) were recorded across all 4323 delivery options. In all three cities, burgers, pizza and Italian were in the top 10 of most advertised meals. Compared with Amsterdam, healthy and meat-free meals were less commonly advertised in Chicago and Melbourne. In Chicago, the number of delivery options for addresses in the most disadvantaged and least disadvantaged neighborhoods were similar. In Amsterdam and Melbourne, a greater number of options was available for the addresses in the least disadvantaged neighborhoods. Conclusions This study highlights the vast number of meal delivery options individuals can source when at home via a meal delivery service, noting the number differs across and within cities. In each city, most food types available for delivery were not considered healthy., Author(s): Maartje P. Poelman [sup.1], Lukar Thornton [sup.2], Shannon N. Zenk [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) Chair Group Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands (2) Institute [...]

In the past 15 years, a major research enterprise has emerged that is aimed at understanding associations between geographic and contextual features of the environment (especially the built environment) and elements of human energy balance, including diet, weight, and physical activity. Here we highlight aspects of this research area with a particular focus on research and opportunities in the United States as an example. We address four main areas: 1) The importance of valid and comparable data concerning behavior across geographies, 2) The ongoing need to identify and explore new environmental variables, 3) The challenge of identifying the causally relevant context, and 4) The pressing need for stronger study designs and analytical methods. Additionally, we discuss existing sources of geo-referenced health data which might be exploited by interdisciplinary research teams, personnel challenges and some aspects of funding for geospatial research by the US National Institutes of Health in the past decade, including funding for international collaboration and training opportunities.

Introduction: Blacks, Hispanics, and women of lower socioeconomic status tend to have a higher risk of obesity. Numerous studies over the past decade examined the role of the neighborhood food environment in body weight. However, few were longitudinal. Purpose: This longitudinal study examined whether multiple measures of neighborhood food availability were associated with body mass index (BMI) in a predominately Black and Hispanic adult sample living in low- to moderate-income urban neighborhoods. Method: This longitudinal study used two waves of data (2002, 2008), including interviewer-measured height and weight, from a community survey of adults (n = 219). In both 2002 and 2008, multiple measures characterized neighborhood food availability: GIS-derived availability of retail food outlets (large grocery store, small grocery store, convenience store, liquor stores), observed fruit and vegetable availability (count of stores selling 10 or more fresh fruit or vegetable varieties), and perceived fruit and vegetable access. Random intercept models estimated multivariable associations, controlling for individual-level demographics and neighborhood median household income. Results: Small grocery store availability was associated with 1.22-unit increase in BMI (p = 0.047), while each unit increase in perceived fruit and vegetable access was associated with a 0.69-unit decrease in BMI (p = 0.055). BMI was not associated with large grocery store, convenience store, or liquor store availability, or with observed fruit and vegetable availability. Conclusions: Findings suggest that improving the neighborhood food environment, particularly at small grocery stores, may help urban residents living in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods achieve healthier body weights over time.

Regular physical activity is associated with improvements in overall health. Although resident involvement in neighborhood social activities is positively associated with physical activity, neighborhood design features, including residential density, have varied associations with physical activity. Using data from a multiethnic sample of 696 adults in Detroit, Michigan, multilevel models were used to examine joint effects of residential density and resident involvement in neighborhood activities in relation to physical activity. We found a marginally significant negative interaction of higher residential density and resident neighborhood involvement. Higher residential density was negatively associated with physical activity, and resident neighborhood involvement was positively associated with physical activity. Our findings suggest that future work incorporate additional neighborhood and individual-level characteristics to understand the complexity of the association between the neighborhood environment, resident social engagement in the neighborhood, and physical activity.

This qualitative study sought to understand food acquisition behaviors and environmental factors that influence those behaviors among women in a low-income African American community with limited food resources. We drew on in-depth interviews with 30 women ages 21 to 45 years recruited from a community health center in Chicago, Illinois. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Emergent themes revealed that women identified multiple environmental barriers--material, economic, and social-interactional--to acquiring food in an acceptable setting. In response, they engaged in several adaptive strategies to manage or alter these challenges, including optimizing, settling, being proactive, and advocating. These findings indicate that efforts to improve neighborhood food environments should address not only food availability and prices but also the physical and social environments of stores. (Contains 2 tables.)

Objective: Use of direct observation to characterize neighborhood retail food environments is increasing, but to date most studies have relied on a single observation. If food availability, prices, and quality vary over short time periods, repeated measures may be needed to portray these food characteristics. This study evaluated short-term (2-week), within-season temporal stability in retail food availability, prices, and quality. Design: In-person observations of retail food stores at 2 time points, 2 weeks apart. Setting: Southwest Chicago, IL. Sample: 157 food stores. Main Outcome Measures: Availability and prices of food items selected from the following food groups: fruit, vegetables, grains, meats and beans, and dairy, as well as fresh produce quality. Analysis: Temporal stability was tested for availability using a McNemar test and for price and quality using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Measures of food availability and prices as well as fresh produce quality at stores were generally stable at the 2 time points. Conclusions and Implications: This study suggests that a single observation may be sufficient to accurately characterize within-season food availability, food prices, and fresh produce quality. (Contains 3 tables.)

Several acculturation theories note the importance of surrounding context, but few studies describe neighborhood influences on immigrant adaptation. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among neighborhood immigrant concentration, acculturation, and alienation for 151 women aged 44-80 from the former Soviet Union who lived in the US fewer than 13 years. Participants resided in 65 census tracts in the Chicago area with varying concentrations of Russian-speaking and diverse immigrants. Results from self-report questionnaires suggest that the effect of acculturation on alienation varies depending on neighborhood characteristics. The study also demonstrates the complexity of individual and contextual influences on immigrant adoption. Understanding these relationships is important for developing community-based and neighborhood-level interventions to enhance the mental health of immigrants. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

This secondary analysis examined relationships between the environment and adherence to a walking intervention among 252 urban and suburban, midlife African American women. Participants received an enhanced or minimal behavioral intervention. Walking adherence was measured as the percentage of prescribed walks completed. Objective measures of the women's neighborhoods included walkability (land use mix, street intersection density, housing unit density, public transit stop density), aesthetics (physical deterioration, industrial land use), availability of outdoor (recreational open space) and indoor (recreation centers, shopping malls) walking facilities/spaces, and safety (violent crime incidents). Ordinary least squares regression estimated relationships. The presence of one and especially both types of indoor walking facilities were associated with greater adherence. No associations were found between adherence and other environmental variables. The effect of the enhanced intervention on adherence did not differ by environmental characteristics. Aspects of the environment may influence African American women who want to be more active. (Contains 4 tables.)