Obesity is a growing problem in the United States, with over 40% of adults classified as obese and more than 70% considered overweight.
Obesity is linked to serious health issues, including certain types of cancer.
In fact, around 5% of new cancer cases in men and 10% in women are believed to be caused by obesity.
To help tackle this issue, policymakers often try to improve access to healthy food by opening more grocery stores in neighborhoods. However, a new study suggests that this strategy alone may not be enough.
Researchers from several universities, led by Dr. Ran Xu from the University of Connecticut, wanted to understand the relationship between where people shop for food and their risk of developing obesity-related cancers.
Their findings were published in BMC Medicine.
The team used nationwide GPS data from 2018–2019 to track where people actually went to buy food, comparing it with information about the types of food stores available in their local areas.
They studied data from about 359,000 food retailers across the U.S. and linked this to obesity-related cancer death rates from 2015–2020.
They divided food stores into two categories: healthy (such as grocery stores, warehouse clubs, and farmers’ markets) and unhealthy (such as fast-food restaurants and convenience stores).
Then, they created two types of indexes. One measured how many healthy food stores were located in a county, and the other tracked how often people in that county actually visited healthy food stores.
The results were eye-opening. The researchers found that where people went to shop mattered more than what stores were located nearby.
In fact, their activity-based index was twice as accurate at predicting obesity-related cancer deaths compared to just looking at store locations.
This means that simply opening new healthy grocery stores in underserved areas may not be enough to improve health outcomes if people continue to shop elsewhere.
The study also revealed differences based on community demographics.
For example, the link between shopping habits and cancer risk was stronger in Hispanic communities and in wealthier areas.
Researchers believe that people with higher incomes may have more ability to choose healthier foods when they shop.
Dr. Xu and his team say these findings show the importance of understanding real human behavior, not just relying on location-based solutions.
In ongoing research, they are looking more closely at why people choose to shop outside their neighborhoods and what influences their food choices—such as price, convenience, or personal preference. This research could help create better policies for improving diet and preventing disease in the future.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and new way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors.
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Source: KSR.
