The community food environment, which encompasses residential and school neighborhoods, is an important determinant of overweight in children and adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the co-occurrence of food swamps in residential and school environments and overweight status. This cross-sectional study included 2601 children and adolescents (aged 5–14 years) from 47 schools in a medium-sized municipality in Brazil. The outcome was overweight status, defined as body mass index for age exceeding the mean by at least one z-score. Food swamps in residential and school surroundings were defined as buffers of 250 m with four or more establishments selling ultra-processed foods. The prevalence of being overweight was 30.4%. Food swamps were present in 22.5% and 22% of the residential and school areas, respectively, and 16.2% of the participants were exposed to food swamps in both residential and school environments. Children and adolescents simultaneously exposed to food swamps in both residential and school areas had a higher likelihood of being overweight (odds ratio: 1.22; 95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.45). The simultaneous presence of food swamps in residential and school environments is associated with overweight in children and adolescents.
Linhares et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: