Does the neighbourhood food environment contribute to ethnic differences in diet quality? Results from the HELIUS study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Objective: The aim of the current study was to establish whether the neighbourhood food environment, characterised by the healthiness of food outlets, the diversity of food outlets and fast-food outlet density within a 500 m or 1000 m street network buffer around the home address, contributed to ethnic differences in diet quality. Design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting: Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Participants: Data on adult participants of Dutch, South-Asian Surinamese, African Surinamese, Turkish and Moroccan descent (n total 4728) in the HELIUS study were analysed. Results: The neighbourhood food environment of ethnic minority groups living in Amsterdam is less supportive of a healthy diet and of less diversity than that of participants of Dutch origin. For example, participants of Turkish, Moroccan and South-Asian Surinamese descent reside in a neighbourhood with a significantly higher fast-food outlet density (<= 1000 m) than participants of Dutch descent. However, we found no evidence that neighbourhood food environment characteristics directly contributed to ethnic differences in diet quality. Conclusion: Although ethnic minority groups lived in less healthy food environments than participants of ethnic Dutch origin, this did not contribute to ethnic differences in diet quality. Future research should investigate other direct or indirect consequences of residing in less supportive food environments and gain a better understanding of how different ethnic groups make use of their neighbourhood food environment.

Automated summary

The neighborhood food environment in Amsterdam is shown to be less supportive of a healthy diet and less diverse for ethnic minority groups compared to participants of Dutch origin. Ethnic minorities like Turkish, Moroccan, and South-Asian Surinamese descent tend to live in areas with higher fast-food outlet density than ethnic Dutch participants. However, there is no evidence to suggest that these neighborhood food environment characteristics directly contribute to ethnic differences in diet quality.