BACKGROUND Individuals and families are relying more on food prepared outside the home as a source for at-home and away-from-home consumption. Restricting the estimation of fast-food access to fast-food restaurants alone may underestimate potential spatial access to fast food. METHODS The study used data from the 2006 Brazos Valley Food Environment Project (BVFEP) and the 2000 U.S. Census Sum...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES We investigated associations between weight status, activity level, and diet with asthma or wheeze as well as the interrelationship between these factors. METHODS We conducted a case-control study of 6-18-year olds from 2005 to 2007. Cases (n = 87) were subjects reporting episodes or breathing medication use along with doctor-diagnosed asthma or wheeze in the past 12 month...

Food communicates information, and food meaning depends on the social context in which food is found. The mode of preparation and consumption of food also expresses some cultural values. There is a high complexity of food behavior. For instance, consumers are affected by primary and secondary brand associations. Consumers are not all the same but they all need balanced food information, and to ...

There are three dominant globalization pathways affecting noncommunicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): urbanization, trade liberalization, and investment liberalization. Urbanization carries potential health benefits due to improved access to an increased variety of food imports, although for the growing number of urban poor, this has often meant increased reliance on cheap, highly pro...

BACKGROUND Local neighbourhood environments can influence dietary behavior. There is limited evidence focused on older people who are likely to have greater dependence on local areas and may suffer functional limitations that amplify any neighbourhood impact. METHODS Using multi-level ordinal regression analysis we investigated the association between multiple dimensions of neighbourhood food...

Food marketing environments of Black American consumers are heavily affected by ethnically-targeted marketing of sugar sweetened beverages, fast foods, and other products that may contribute to caloric overconsumption. This qualitative study assessed Black consumers' responses to targeted marketing. Black adults (2 mixed gender groups; total n = 30) and youth (2 gender specific groups; total n ...

Humans are the only animals to cook their food before eating it. Some evidence indicates that cooked food allowed the human brain and body to develop amazing complexities due to increased access to varieties of food and time. Others believe that the humans who cooked their first meal 40,000 years ago took a step towards a long fall from grace that eventually led to fast food, heart disease, and...

In adults, relationships between religiosity and positive health behaviors have been established; however, similar studies among emerging adults has not been explored. This study examined the relationship between multiple dimensions of religiosity, physical activity, fast food intake, and obesity among emerging adults. Data are from 1,319 emerging adults participating in the National Longitudin...

With growing concerns about childhood obesity and the associated health risks, several countries are considering banning advertising directed at the children. In this paper we study the e¤ect of a ban on advertizing to children imposed in the Canadian province of Quebec in 1980 on fastfood purchase propensity and expenditures. Fastfood is not only one of the most highly advertised product categ...

Eating patterns and behaviour have been linked to the increasing incidence of weight-related health risks. Understanding the motivations behind certain food choices, particularly high energy-dense foods is therefore of importance. The purpose of this research was to get a better understanding of the snack choices of emotional eaters and how these compared to non-emotional eaters. Participants, ...