The food environment in Latin America : a systematic review with a focus on environments relevant to obesity and related chronic diseases.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
Objective: Food environments may be contributing to the rapid increase in obesity
occurring in most Latin American (LA) countries. The present study reviews liter-
ature from LA that (i) describes the food environment and policies targeting the
food environment (FEP); and (ii) analytic studies that investigate associations
between the FEP and dietary behaviours, overweight/obesity and obesity related
chronic diseases. We focus on six dimensions of the FEP: food retail, provision,
labelling, marketing, price and composition.
Design: Systematic literature review. Three databases (Web of Science, SciELO,
LILACS) were searched, from 1 January 1999 up to July 2017. Two authors inde-
pendently selected the studies. A narrative synthesis was used to summarize,
integrate and interpret findings.
Setting: Studies conducted in LA countries.
Participants: The search yielded 2695 articles of which eighty-four met inclusion
criteria.
Results: Most studies were descriptive and came from Brazil (61 %), followed by
Mexico (18 %) and Guatemala (6 %). Studies were focused primarily on retail/
provision (n 27), marketing (n 16) and labelling (n 15). Consistent associations
between availability of fruit and vegetable markets and higher consumption of
fruits and vegetables were found in cross-sectional studies. Health claims in food
packaging were prevalent and mostly misleading. There was widespread use of
marketing strategies for unhealthy foods aimed at children. Food prices were lower
for processed relative to fresh foods. Some studies documented high sodium in
industrially processed foods.
Conclusions: Gaps in knowledge remain regarding policy evaluations, longitudinal
food retail studies, impacts of food price on diet and effects of digital marketing on
diet/health.
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Keywords
Food retail, Food labelling, Food promotion, Food price, Systematic literature review
Citation
FERRER, C. P. et al. The food environment in Latin America : a systematic review with a focus on environments relevant to obesity and related chronic diseases. Public health nutrition, v. 1, p. 1-18, 2019. Disponível em: <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/food-environment-in-latin-america-a-systematic-review-with-a-focus-on-environments-relevant-to-obesity-and-related-chronic-diseases/174014211E096276A58144FB9B670946>. Acesso em: 11 out. 2022.