Evaluating the food environment in eight transport hubs identified in the New South Wales transport oriented development program

Abstract

The built food environment has a significant influence on population health, for better and for worse. Urban planning, therefore, has a critical role to play in ensuring healthy populations and cities. This study aimed to evaluate the healthfulness of the current food environments surrounding eight transport hubs identified for accelerated development in New South Wales, Australia, and provide recommendations for policymakers and urban planners. Google 'My Maps' was used to identify the number and type of food outlets within a 1,200-m radius of the rail or metro station for each transport hub. Food outlets were categorised as unhealthy, less healthy, and healthy using an adapted version of the Food Environment Score which was developed by Australian nutrition and public health experts. A high percentage of unhealthy and less healthy food outlets were observed across all transport hubs, ranging from 78.7% to 93.8%. The most prevalent food outlet type was restaurants/cafes (49.5%), followed by specialty foods (8.4%), and independent takeaways (7.6%). To combat the ubiquity in diet-related non-communicable diseases in increasingly urbanised cities, further research is needed to understand ways that healthy food environments can be prioritised in city planning and design, especially in areas identified for rezoning and intensified development.