Neighborhood food environment and body mass index among Japanese older adults: results from the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES)

2011

Neighborhood Food Environment and BMI in Japanese Older Adults

Sample size: 12595 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Hanibuchi Tomoya, Kondo Katsunori, Nakaya Tomoki, Nakade Miyo, Ojima Toshiyuki, Hirai Hiroshi, Kawachi Ichiro

Primary Institution: Research Center for Disaster Mitigation of Urban Cultural Heritage, Ritsumeikan University

Hypothesis

The study aims to examine the association of local food environment to body mass index (BMI) in older Japanese individuals.

Conclusion

The study found that better access to supermarkets and fast food outlets was associated with higher BMI among older Japanese adults.

Supporting Evidence

Better access to supermarkets was related to higher BMI.
Access to fast food outlets was associated with higher BMI among those living alone.
The study used GIS to measure food environment accessibility.
Findings suggest the need for culture-specific approaches in food environment research.
Older adults' dietary habits may be influenced by their neighborhoods.

Takeaway

This study looked at how the places where older people shop for food affect their weight. It found that having more supermarkets nearby might actually lead to higher weights.

Methodology

The study used cross-sectional data from the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study, analyzing responses from 12,595 individuals using GIS to assess food environment accessibility.