Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 29;19(23):15941. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192315941.
Rates of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are disproportionately high among people of Pacific ethnicity. Nutrition-related environmental exposures including food access and quality contribute to the matrix of factors impacting risk. Preventative interventions in adolescence and the opportunity to integrate health promotion into school-based learning are often overlooked. This study tested the potential of a low-cost method to map the retail food environment in a 1 km radius of two secondary schools in low socioeconomic communities with predominantly Pacific populations, in Tonga and New Zealand (NZ). Mapping utilized Google Earth, Google Maps, government maps, and observations. A rubric was developed to categorize food quality. Outlets within a 1 km radius of each school, (Tonga, n = 150; NZ, n = 52) stocked predominantly unhealthy foods. The NZ data compared favorably to previous studies, indicating the method was valid. The Tongan data is novel and indicates that alternative strategies can be used when access to GIS-type tools is limited. The method produced visual data that has the potential to be analyzed using strategies appropriate for secondary schools. The method should now be tested in classrooms to assess its potential to support school-age students to engage in mapping and critiquing the retail food environment.
太平洋族裔人群的非传染性疾病（NCD）发病率极高。与营养相关的环境暴露因素，包括食物的可及性和质量，是影响风险的众多因素之一。青春期的预防干预措施以及将健康促进融入学校学习的机会往往被忽视。本研究在汤加和新西兰（NZ）两个以太平洋族裔为主的低收入社区的两所中学周围 1 公里范围内，测试了一种低成本的方法来绘制零售食品环境图的潜力。制图利用了谷歌地球、谷歌地图、政府地图和观察结果。制定了一个分类食物质量的标准。每个学校周围 1 公里范围内的网点（汤加，n = 150；新西兰，n = 52）都主要供应不健康的食品。新西兰的数据与之前的研究相比结果较好，表明该方法是有效的。汤加的数据是新颖的，表明在无法使用 GIS 等工具时，可以采用替代策略。该方法生成了可视化数据，有可能使用适合中学的策略对其进行分析。现在应该在课堂上测试该方法，以评估其支持学龄学生参与绘制和批评零售食品环境的潜力。
