Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles Group, Wageningen University & Research, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Department of Human Geography, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2020 May 13;17(1):61. doi: 10.1186/s12966-020-00969-w.
The association between the residential fast food environment and diet has gained growing attention. However, why the food environment affects food consumption is under-examined. This study aimed to investigate neighbourhood social norms with respect to fast food consumption as a potential mediating pathway between residential fast food outlet exposure and residents' fast food consumption.
A correlational study was conducted in which a nationwide sample of 1038 respondents living across The Netherlands completed a survey. Respondents reported their fast food consumption (amount/week) as well as perceived descriptive and injunctive norms regarding fast food consumption in their neighbourhood. Fast food outlet exposure was measured by the average count of fast food outlets within a 400 m walking distance buffer around the zip-codes of the respondents, using a retail outlet database. Regression models were used to assess associations between residential fast food outlet exposure, fast food consumption, and social norm perceptions, and a bootstrapping procedure was used to test the indirect -mediation- effect. Separate analyses were performed for descriptive norms and injunctive norms.
There was no overall or direct association between residential fast food outlet exposure and residents' fast food consumption. However, fast food outlet exposure was positively associated with neighbourhood social norms (descriptive and injunctive) regarding fast food consumption, which in turn were positively associated with the odds of consuming fast food. Moreover, results of the bootstrapped analysis provided evidence of indirect effects of fast food outlet exposure on fast food consumption, via descriptive norms and injunctive norms.
In neighbourhoods with more fast food outlets, residents were more likely to perceive fast food consumption in the neighbourhood as more common and appropriate. In turn, stronger neighbourhood social norms were associated with higher fast food consumption. Acknowledging the correlational design, this study is the first that implies that neighbourhood social norms may be a mediating pathway in the relation between the residential fast food environment and fast food consumption. Future research may examine the role of neighbourhood social norms in other contexts and explore how the changing food environment may shift our consumption norms.
居住快餐环境与饮食之间的关联已引起越来越多的关注。然而，食物环境为何会影响食物消费却没有得到充分的研究。本研究旨在调查邻里对快餐消费的社会规范，因为这些规范可能是居住快餐网点暴露与居民快餐消费之间的潜在中介途径。
本研究采用相关性研究设计，调查了居住在荷兰各地的 1038 名受访者。受访者报告了他们的快餐消费（每周量）以及他们对邻里快餐消费的感知描述性和规范性社会规范。使用零售店数据库，通过受访者邮政编码周围 400 米步行缓冲区的快餐网点平均数量来衡量居住快餐网点暴露。回归模型用于评估居住快餐网点暴露、快餐消费和社会规范感知之间的关联，并使用自举程序来测试间接-中介效应。分别对描述性规范和规范性规范进行分析。
居住快餐网点暴露与居民快餐消费之间没有总体或直接的关联。然而，快餐网点暴露与邻里快餐消费的社会规范（描述性和规范性）呈正相关，而这些社会规范又与消费快餐的几率呈正相关。此外，自举分析的结果提供了居住快餐网点暴露对快餐消费的间接影响的证据，通过描述性规范和规范性规范。
在快餐店较多的邻里，居民更有可能认为邻里的快餐消费更为普遍和适当。相反，更强的邻里社会规范与更高的快餐消费有关。考虑到相关设计，本研究首次表明，邻里社会规范可能是居住快餐环境与快餐消费之间关系的中介途径。未来的研究可以在其他背景下检验邻里社会规范的作用，并探讨不断变化的食物环境如何改变我们的消费规范。
