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Food Environments

Understanding the drivers of food choices, creating demands for healthy and diverse diets

Food environment research plays a crucial role in understanding how the availability, affordability, and accessibility of foods in our surroundings impact dietary choices and overall health. The types of foods stocked in local stores, markets, and food outlets significantly influence what people purchase and consume. If healthy, nutrient-dense options like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are readily available and affordable, people are more likely to make healthier food choices. However, in many communities, especially low-income or rural areas, access to healthy foods can be limited, while highly processed, calorie-dense foods are more prevalent. Research in this area is essential to design strategies that improve food environments, ensuring equitable access to nutritious foods, promoting healthier diets, and ultimately reducing diet-related diseases. By creating food environments that prioritize health, we can shape better public health outcomes for all.

Our Research

Shaping Food Environments in Transitioning Economies

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This project explores food environments in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, addressing the rise of non-communicable diseases due to shifting diets. It aims to develop sustainable solutions that promote healthier eating, focusing on urban poor communities in Malaysia, Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania.

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Relationship between changes in the typology of the food environments and nutrition transition: health implications

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Understanding the physical food environment: spatial patterns and characterisation

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Community gardens and the role they serve: challenges and opportunities

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Influence of Personal Food Environment on Food Purchasing Behaviour, Dietary Quality and Nutritional Status: Evidence-based Policy and Intervention Recommendations

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Influence of food environment on dietary choices and nutritional status of rural communities: a case in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

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Influence of Food Environments on Dietary Behaviour and Nutritional Outcomes in Peri-Urban Communities

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