Research
Adherence
Changes in the local built food environment (e.g., supermarket availability) have inconsistent and limited effects on diet quality and adiposity.
Building new supermarkets or grocery stores in 'food deserts' is not a guaranteed solution to obesity or poor diet. Focus on pricing strategies and marketing campaigns instead, as these have stronger evidence.
LimitedRefutesLOW confidence
In sum, current evidence for effects of the local built food environment on diet or diet-related risk factors remains surprisingly limited.
Why this rating
Most studies are cross-sectional with potential for reverse causation and confounding.
Source
CVD Prevention Through Policy: a Review of Mass Media, Food/Menu Labeling, Taxation/Subsidies, Built Environment, School Procurement, Worksite Wellness, and Marketing Standards to Improve Diet
Ashkan Afshin et al. · Current Cardiology Reports · 2015
DOI 10.1007/s11886-015-0658-9
narrative_reviewCited 180×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Food pricing strategies, specifically taxes on unhealthy foods and subsidies for healthy foods, effectively alter consumption, with stronger effects on lower-income populations.Good
- School procurement policies that restrict unhealthy competitive foods and beverages are effective in reducing student intake and obesity prevalence.Good
- Focused mass media campaigns targeting specific dietary factors (fruits, vegetables, salt) effectively improve population-level dietary intake.Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →