Food Environments and Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is driven by a dynamic interplay between individual behaviours and the external food environments in which families live, learn and socialise. These environments comprise the spatial distribution of food outlets—supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, convenience stores and cafés—as well as the in-store characteristics of product placement, labelling, pricing and promotion. At schools, on-site cafeterias and adjacent take-away outlets often offer energy-dense, nutrient-poor options, while digital platforms further expand access to unhealthy foods through delivery services and targeted marketing. Socioeconomic deprivation and patterns of urban development intensify exposure to unhealthy outlets and constrain access to fresh produce, creating disparities in dietary quality and weight outcomes. Policy levers including planning restrictions around schools, improvements to school meal standards and fiscal measures such as taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages have demonstrated potential to shift purchasing patterns. A coordinated approach that integrates urban planning, public health policy and community engagement is essential to transform food environments and mitigate the global burden of childhood obesity.

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Food Environments and Childhood Obesity publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in food environments and childhood obesity across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Food desert: A geographic area with scarce availability of outlets selling fresh, affordable and nutritious foods.

Food swamp: A neighbourhood characterised by a predominance of outlets offering energy-dense, nutrient-poor items relative to healthier options.

Consumer nutrition environment: The in-store context including product placement, labelling, portion sizes and price promotions that influences purchasing decisions.

Spatial access: The ease with which individuals can reach food outlets, often measured by outlet density or proximity within a set buffer zone.

References

1. Influences of the community and consumer nutrition environment on the food purchases and dietary behaviors of adolescents: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews (2023).
2. Deserts, Swamps and Food Oases: Mapping around the Schools in Bahia, Brazil and Implications for Ensuring Food and Nutritional Security. Nutrients (2024).
3. “It does help but there's a limit …”: Young people's perspectives on policies to manage hot food takeaways opening near schools. Social Science & Medicine (2025).