Development and Validation of a Set of Instruments to Measure Food Environments
Date
2022
Type:
Article
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Abstract
Background: There is worldwide interest in measuring local food environments (FEs). The
aim of this study was to develop and validate a set of instruments to evaluate FEs in Chile.
Methods: Based on the development and validation of four instruments to measure FEs, a literature review, an evaluation by experts, and the implementation of a pilot tool in the FEs of schoolchildren from nine public schools in the commune of Chillán, Chile, were used.
Results: A tool to evaluate FEs was provided, based on three dimensions: availability, variety, and advertising of healthy foods. A total of 1928 foods points of purchase were evaluated. The reliability was evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha. Some 74% of the foods’ points of purchase were store locations. The reliability of the four instruments was high to acceptable (store: 0.90; institution: 0.77; street food: 0.74; restaurant: 0.68). Unhealthy foods were highlighted by the scores obtained: store (6.08 ± 4.07; range: 0–13), restaurant (3.95 ± 1.75; range: 0–10), street food (1.18 ± 1.56; range: 0–7), and institution FEs (3.38 ± 2.78; range: 0–9). Conclusions: The results of this tool can provide information to governments for incorporatingb structural measures to ensure adequate availability, variety, and advertising of healthy foods in different FEs.
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Citation
Araneda-Flores, J.; Moresco, P.O.; Quezada-Figueroa, G.; Lobos-Fernandez, L.; Leyton, B.; Pinheiro, A.C. Development and Validation of a Set of Instruments to Measure Food Environments. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13806. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph192113806
Keywords
Food environment, Chile, Nutrition, Evaluation