Improving the healthiness of retail food environments reduces heart-related hospitalisations and the risk of related death, according to a new nationwide longitudinal study that has come out of The Netherlands.
The study, co-authored by RE-FRESH: Next Generation Investigator Assistant Professor Joreintje Mackenbach, investigated the association between exposure to changes in the food environment and cardiovascular disease risk among a cohort of more than four million Dutch adults over 14 years (2004-2018).
Researchers considered the association between the density of six specific food retailers – food delivery outlets, fast food outlets, restaurants, local food shops, supermarkets and convenience stores – around where people live, and rates of hospitalisation and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease.
Just a 10 per cent improvement in the healthiness of the food environments over the study period was associated with a 10-20 per cent risk reduction in several cardiovascular disease outcomes. The study found the impact of exposure to healthier food environments was most strongly experienced by younger, higher income individuals in urbanised environments. Researchers noted that these people tend to be more health-conscious, which may partially explain the stronger protective effect.
The findings are considered pertinent for public health action, given that previous research has shown that retail food environments in the Netherlands are becoming increasingly unhealthy.
