Behavioral and Health Impacts of the Urban Food Environment: Research Progress and Prospects
Abstract：
The urban food environment is a key research area for exploring factors influencing diet and promoting healthy eating. Despite numerous studies in this field, reviews and future research agendas from a spatial perspective remain scarce. This paper reviews the measurement of the food environment and its impacts on dietary behavior and health, emphasizing the shift from residential neighborhoods to activity spaces. In terms of measurement, the activity space method provides a more comprehensive depiction of residents’food environments but faces challenges such as the uncertainty geographic context problem and the selective daily mobility bias. Regarding impacts on dietary behaviors, the food environment has a more pronounced effect on fast food consumption than on fresh produce, and the associations between activity space food environment and dietary behaviors are more consistent. In terms of health impacts, a significant association exists between the proportion of unhealthy food stores in residential areas and overweight, while the activity space food environment may mitigate health risks associated with disadvantaged food environments in residential neighborhoods. Building on identified research gaps, this paper discusses trends and future directions in urban food environment research, including integrating temporal and spatial dimensions in measurement, examining the intertwined impacts of spatial and non-spatial factors on dietary behaviors, evaluating the behavioral and health effects of spatial interventions, and addressing challenges posed by online food retailing. This paper aims to provide references for advancing research on the urban food environment.