Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neighborhood Food Access and Birth Outcomes in South Carolina

  • Published:
Maternal and Child Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Evidence of the association between food environment and birth outcomes is limited. This study aimed to examine the association between individual-level food access measures and birth outcomes.

Methods

All birth certificates (N = 15,786) from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009 in eight counties in South Carolina were included. Access to food was evaluated by the distance to the nearest food store and the number of each type of store within a 1-mile (1.6-km) radius from the women’s homes. Birth outcomes included birth weight, low birth weight, gestational age, and preterm birth (PTB).

Results

A further distance to the nearest convenience store was associated with higher birth weight and gestational age. Birth weight in areas with two or more convenience stores within a 1-mile (1.6-km) buffer was less [two stores: β = −46.2, 95 % confidence interval (CI) −76.5, −15.9; three or more stores: β = −48.6, 95 % CI −78.8, −18.5], and gestational age was shorter in areas with one or two convenience stores (one store: β = −0.11, 95 % CI −0.21, −0.00; two or more stores: β = −0.13, 95 % CI −0.25, 0.00) than in areas without convenience stores in the neighborhood. Having three or more convenience stores in the neighborhood was associated with increased risk of PTB compared with no convenience stores. Accessibility and availability of supermarkets and grocery stores were not associated with any birth outcomes.

Conclusions for Practice

This analysis suggests that access to unhealthy foods is associated with adverse birth outcomes. Future investigations with more comprehensive measures of food environment are warranted.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Agyemang, C., Vrijkotte, T. G., Droomers, M., van der Wal, M. F., Bonsel, G. J., & Stronks, K. (2009). The effect of neighbourhood income and deprivation on pregnancy outcomes in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 63(9), 755–760.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bodor, J. N., Rose, D., Farley, T. A., Swalm, C., & Scott, S. K. (2008). Neighbourhood fruit and vegetable availability and consumption: The role of small food stores in an urban environment. Public Health Nutrition, 11(4), 413–420.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Buka, S. L., Brennan, R. T., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (2003). Neighborhood support and the birth weight of urban infants. American Journal of Epidemiology, 157(1), 1–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Creel, J. S., Sharkey, J. R., McIntosh, A., Anding, J., & Huber, J. C, Jr. (2008). Availability of healthier options in traditional and nontraditional rural fast-food outlets. BMC Public Health, 8, 395.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Dutko, P., & Ploeg, M. V. (2013). Different measures of food access inform different solutions. http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2013-march/different-measures-of-food-access-inform-different-solutions.aspx. Accessed 3 March 2013.

  6. Farley, T. A., Mason, K., Rice, J., Habel, J. D., Scribner, R., & Cohen, D. A. (2006). The relationship between the neighbourhood environment and adverse birth outcomes. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 20(3), 188–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Franco, M., Diez-Roux, A. V., Nettleton, J. A., Lazo, M., Brancati, F., Caballero, B., & Moore, L. V. (2009). Availability of healthy foods and dietary patterns: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89(3), 897–904.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Goldenberg, R. L., Cliver, S. P., Mulvihill, F. X., Hickey, C. A., Hoffman, H. J., Klerman, L. V., & Johnson, M. J. (1996). Medical, psychosocial, and behavioral risk factors do not explain the increased risk for low birth weight among black women. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 175(5), 1317–1324.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Guidelines for using rural–urban classification systems for public health assessment. (2009). http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/5500/RuralUrbGuide.pdf. Accessed 6 May 2012.

  10. Jago, R., Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Cullen, K. W., & Thompson, D. (2007). Distance to food stores and adolescent male fruit and vegetable consumption: Mediation effects. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 4, 35.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Janevic, T., Stein, C. R., Savitz, D. A., Kaufman, J. S., Mason, S. M., & Herring, A. H. (2010). Neighborhood deprivation and adverse birth outcomes among diverse ethnic groups. Annals of Epidemiology, 20(6), 445–451.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Lane, S. D., Keefe, R. H., Rubinstein, R., Levandowski, B. A., Webster, N., Cibula, D. A., & Brill, J. (2008). Structural violence, urban retail food markets, and low birth weight. Health Place, 14(3), 415–423.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Laraia, B. A., Siega-Riz, A. M., Kaufman, J. S., & Jones, S. J. (2004). Proximity of supermarkets is positively associated with diet quality index for pregnancy. Preventive Medicine, 39(5), 869–875.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Larson, N. I., & Story, M. T. (2009). A review of environmental influences on food choices. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 38(Suppl 1), S56–S73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Liese, A. D., Barnes, T. L., Lamichhane, A. P., Hibbert, J. D., Colabianchi, N., & Lawson, A. B. (2013). Characterizing the food retail environment: Impact of count, type and geospatial error in two secondary data sources. Journal Nutrition Education and Behavior, 9(1), 16–32.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Liese, A. D., Colabianchi, N., Lamichhane, A. P., Barnes, T. L., Hibbert, J. D., Porter, D. E., & Lawson, A. B. (2010). Validation of 3 food outlet databases: Completeness and geospatial accuracy in rural and urban food environments. American Journal of Epidemiology, 172(11), 1324–1333.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Love, C., David, R. J., Rankin, K. M., & Collins, J. W, Jr. (2010). Exploring weathering: Effects of lifelong economic environment and maternal age on low birth weight, small for gestational age, and preterm birth in African-American and white women. American Journal of Epidemiology, 172(2), 127–134.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Ma, X., Battersby, S. E., Bell, B. A., Hibbert, J. D., Barnes, T. L., & Liese, A. D. (2013). Variation in low food access areas due to data source inaccuracies. Applied Geography, 45, 131–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Martin, J. A., Hamilton, B. E., Ventura, S. J., Osterman, M. J. K., Wilson, E. C., & Mathews, T. J. (2012). Births: Final data for 2010. National Vital Statistics Reports, 61(1), 1.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Masi, C. M., Hawkley, L. C., Piotrowski, Z. H., & Pickett, K. E. (2007). Neighborhood economic disadvantage, violent crime, group density, and pregnancy outcomes in a diverse, urban population. Social Science and Medicine, 65(12), 2440–2457.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Messer, L. C., Kaufman, J. S., Dole, N., Herring, A., & Laraia, B. A. (2006). Violent crime exposure classification and adverse birth outcomes: A geographically-defined cohort study. International Journal of Health Geographics, 5, 22.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Messer, L. C., Kaufman, J. S., Dole, N., Savitz, D. A., & Laraia, B. A. (2006). Neighborhood crime, deprivation, and preterm birth. Annals of Epidemiology, 16(6), 455–462.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Metcalfe, A., Lail, P., Ghali, W. A., & Sauve, R. S. (2011). The association between neighbourhoods and adverse birth outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of multi-level studies. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 25(3), 236–245.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Mitchell, E. A., Robinson, E., Clark, P. M., Becroft, D. M., Glavish, N., Pattison, N. S., & Wild, C. J. (2004). Maternal nutritional risk factors for small for gestational age babies in a developed country: A case–control study. Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 89(5), F431–F435.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Moore, L. V., Roux, A. V. D., Nettleton, J. A., & Jacobs, D. R, Jr. (2008). Associations of the local food environment with diet quality—A comparison of assessments based on surveys and geographic information systems: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167(8), 917–924.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Morland, K., Wing, S., & Diez, R. A. (2002). The contextual effect of the local food environment on residents’ diets: The atherosclerosis risk in communities study. American Journal of Public Health, 92(11), 1761–1767.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. O’Campo, P., Burke, J. G., Culhane, J., Elo, I. T., Eyster, J., Holzman, C., & Laraia, B. A. (2008). Neighborhood deprivation and preterm birth among non-Hispanic Black and White women in eight geographic areas in the United States. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167(2), 155–163.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Pearce, J., Hiscock, R., Blakely, T., & Witten, K. (2008). The contextual effects of neighbourhood access to supermarkets and convenience stores on individual fruit and vegetable consumption. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 62(3), 198–201.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Pearce, J., Hiscock, R., Blakely, T., & Witten, K. (2009). A national study of the association between neighbourhood access to fast-food outlets and the diet and weight of local residents. Health Place, 15(1), 193–197.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Reichman, N. E., Teitler, J. O., & Hamilton, E. R. (2009). Effects of neighborhood racial composition on birthweight. Health Place, 15(3), 784–791. (Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Schempf, A., Strobino, D., & O’Campo, P. (2009). Neighborhood effects on birthweight: An exploration of psychosocial and behavioral pathways in Baltimore, 1995–1996. Social Science and Medicine, 68(1), 100–110.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Sram, R. J., Binkova, B., Lnenickova, Z., Solansky, I., & Dejmek, J. (2005). The impact of plasma folate levels of mothers and newborns on intrauterine growth retardation and birth weight. Mutation Research, 591(1–2), 302–310.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. State indicator report on fruits and vegetables, 2009. (2009). http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/downloads/StateIndicatorReport2009.pdf. Accessed 20 May 2011.

  34. Wu, G., Bazer, F. W., Cudd, T. A., Meininger, C. J., & Spencer, T. E. (2004). Maternal nutrition and fetal development. Journal of Nutrition, 134(9), 2169–2172.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was not supported by any grants or funds. We thank James Hibbert (Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina) for geographic information system analysis and Dr. Daniela Nitcheva, Mr. Sung-Jun Kim, and Mr. John Allen (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, South Carolina) for providing the data needed for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China

    Xiaoguang Ma

  2. Chronic Disease Research Institute, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Xiaoguang Ma

  3. Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Xiaoguang Ma & Angela D. Liese

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Jihong Liu, James W. Hardin, Guang Zhao & Angela D. Liese

Authors
  1. Xiaoguang Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jihong Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James W. Hardin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Guang Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Angela D. Liese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaoguang Ma.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ma, X., Liu, J., Hardin, J.W. et al. Neighborhood Food Access and Birth Outcomes in South Carolina. Matern Child Health J 20, 187–195 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1818-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1818-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation