Where we eat is who we are: a survey of food-related travel patterns to Singapore’s hawker centers, food courts and coffee shops

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Mariana Arcaya¹  Shin Bin Tan² 

[1] Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave, 02139, Cambridge, MA, USA;Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave, 02139, Cambridge, MA, USA;Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, 469C Bukit Timah Rd, 259772, Singapore, Singapore;

关键词: Food environments;    Food related travel;    Travel mode;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12966-020-01031-5

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe development of empirically-grounded policies to change the obesogenic nature of urban environment has been impeded by limited, inconclusive evidence of the link between food environments, dietary behaviors, and health-related outcomes, in part due to inconsistent methods of classifying and analyzing food environments. This study explores how individual and built environment characteristics may be associated with how far and long people travel to food venues,that can serve as a starting point for further policy-oriented research to develop a more nuanced, context-specific delineations of ‘food environments’ in an urban Asian context.MethodsFive hundred twenty nine diners in eight different neighborhoods in Singapore were surveyed about how far and long they travelled to their meal venues, and by what mode. We then examined how respondents’ food-related travel differed by socioeconomic characteristics, as well as objectively-measured built environment characteristics at travel origin and destination, using linear regression models.ResultsLow-income individuals expended more time traveling to meal destinations than high-income individuals, largely because they utilized slower modes like walking rather than driving. Those travelling from areas with high food outlet density travelled shorter distances and times than those from food-sparse areas, while those seeking meals away from their home and work anchor points had lower thresholds for travel. Respondents also travelled longer distances to food-dense locations, compared to food-sparse locations.ConclusionThose seeking to improve food environments of poor individuals should consider studying an intervention radius pegged to typical walking distances, or ways to improve their transport options as a starting point. Policy-focused research on food environments should also be sensitive to locational characteristics, such as food outlet densities and land use.

【 授权许可】

CC BY