Strong Association Exists Between Access to Food Stores and Adolescent Body Mass Index (BMI)

Evidence that the availability of local food stores has an effect on adolescent BMI supports earlier findings that environmental factors are important contributors to the increasing rate of overweight and obese adolescent.

What researchers found: The availability of chain supermarkets was associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and lower overweight status, while the availability of convenience stores was associated with higher adolescent BMI and higher overweight status. The relationship between supermarket availability and BMI was three times greater for African-American adolescents than white or Hispanic youth and stronger in families with working mothers.

Why we chose this publication: This is the first study to examine the connection between food store availability and weight outcomes among adolescents. Findings from this study identify the commercial development of supermarkets as a potential area for policy-makers to focus efforts to combat childhood obesity, particularly in communities where adolescent obesity is highest.

What researchers studied: Researchers examined the link between the availability of different types of neighborhood food stores and adolescent BMI, overweight prevalence and demographic variables. They analyzed data from several sources, including individual-level data for 8th and 10th grade adolescents from the national Monitoring the Future study and per capita income data from the 2000 Census.

Publication information:
“Associations Between Access to Food Stores and Adolescent Body Mass Index”
Powell LM, Auld C, Chaloupka FJ, O'Malley PM and Johnston LD
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33(4): S301-S307, October 2007