University of Twente Student Theses
The food environment and obesity, are they related? : A cross-sectional observational study in the Netherlands
Derksen, J. (2023) The food environment and obesity, are they related? : A cross-sectional observational study in the Netherlands.
This is the latest version of this item.
|
PDF
953kB |
| Abstract: | Background: Obesity is on the rise. In 2016 over 1.9 billion people worldwide over the age of 18 years are overweight, of whom 650 million had obesity. The food environment, the system in which consumers buy and eat food, has changed with an increase in fast-food restaurants and the availability of ultra-processed foods. Both have been associated with increased risk of obesity. To assess the association between the food environment and obesity rates, a study will be conducted focussing on the province of Gelderland. Methods: First, obesity rates were analysed on a national level to locate clusters of obesity. The next step was to examine the distribution of food outlets. Outlets were divided into the groups healthy or unhealthy and were assigned a healthiness score. Accordingly, a food environment score was determined for each neighbourhood. Lastly, a Pearson’s correlation coefficient (Pearson’s r) was calculated for the correlation between the obesity rates and the number of food outlets per neighbourhood and the weighted food environment score. Results: Based on the healthiness score, the mean food environment was slightly unhealthier in the low obesity rate clusters. Restaurants and fast-food outlets were the main food outlet type in both cluster types. Pearson’s r for the correlation between obesity rates and the number of unhealthy food outlets in the neighbourhood was -0.05 (p = 0.1478). Pearson’s r for the correlation between obesity rates and the weighted unhealthy food environment score was 0.03 (p = 0.1563). Discussion: Within the scope of this study, there was no significant correlation found between the food environment and obesity prevalence. The results indicate that high obesity rate areas have a healthier food environment score compared to low rate areas. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | TNW: Science and Technology |
| Subject: | 02 science and culture in general, 43 environmental science, 74 (human) geography, cartography, town and country planning, demography |
| Programme: | Health Sciences BSc (56553) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/95644 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
Show download statistics for this publication
Show download statistics for this publicationRepository Staff Only: item control page