Daniel Liadsky

Exploring Toronto's Foodscapes: Measuring the Food Environment and Healthy Eating Behaviours ©2015

Health outcomes related to fruit and vegetable consumption are widely recognized. This study investigates how dietary intake is influenced by individual, social, and environmental factors in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area. The analysis and findings are based on the Canadian Community Health Survey which includes self-reported fruit and vegetable intake data from 6,513 adults aged 20 years and older. Food environment measures were constructed from commercial databases using kernel density estimates and network drive times. A variety of spatial and multivariate techniques were used to gain a greater understanding of the data and multiple regression models were used to determine the associations between diet, the food environment, and other health and socioeconomic factors. Analyses were stratified by gender. Interaction terms between the food environment and low income and restricted mobility population groups were also analyzed in these models. Unexpectedly, supermarket density was found to have an inverse association with fruit and vegetable intake. Low income and mobility restrictions produced different responses in men and women. The study contributes to a growing body of research into understanding the relationship between the food environment and dietary behaviours.

Keywords: Food environment, fruit and vegetable intake, socioeconomic position, Geographic Information Systems