2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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333884
GPS-derived fast food restaurant exposures and dietary choice in African American women


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 10:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Kelly Jones, BSN, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Shannon N. Zenk, PhD, MPH, FAAN, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Ana Clara Duran, PhD, MS, Department of Health Systems Science, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, IL
Stephen Matthews, PhD, Departments of Sociology & Criminology, and Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, PA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Purpose: Prior research has found associations between multiple types of food advertising, including outdoor advertising (e.g., billboards), and higher sugar intake and obesity risk. Less is known about the effect of encounters with fast-food restaurants (FFR), where iconic building designs and prominent signage may act as forms of advertising. Using global positioning system (GPS) technology, this study described daily encounters with FFR, conceptualized as outdoor advertising, and examined whether such encounters influenced food choices in a sample of African-American women.

Methods: Participants (n=101) were asked to wear GPS trackers for 7 days. FFR exposure was measured as a count of FFR within 60 meters of women’s GPS locations, at which distance outdoor signage would be visible across a major urban thoroughfare. Both visit and non-visit exposures were constructed. Dietary intake was measured using 24-hour dietary recalls on three of the seven days. Fixed effect regression analysis was conducted at the day level to test if FFR exposures were associated with higher consumption of (1) any food with added sugar, (2) number of food items with added sugar, or (3) total grams of added sugar.

Results: 479 GPS days were collected, out of which 227 had associated 24-hour dietary recalls. FFR exposure was common, with women having at least one FFR exposure on almost all days (478/479 days) and mean daily exposures of 12.8 (SD: 1.6). However, no significant relationship was found between FFR exposure and dietary intake.

Discussion: Exposure to FFR is a common occurrence throughout the day. Because of its ubiquity, advertising related to FFR store exteriors may have different effects than more traditional forms of advertising.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe exposures to fast food restaurants in a sample of African American women, and the associated impact on food choices.

Keyword(s): Built Environment, African American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student at the College of Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago under the direct supervision of Dr. Shannon N. Zenk, who has extensive experience as PI and investigator on federally funded work looking at the relationship of environmental factors and health outcomes.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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