Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38373957›Full record

SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2024

Food environment research in Canada: a rapid review of methodologies and measures deployed between 2010 and 2021.

Caroline Vaillancourt, Mavra Ahmed, Sara Kirk, Marie-Ève Labonté, Amos Laar, Catherine L Mah, Leia Minaker, Dana Lee Olstad, Monique Potvin Kent, Véronique Provencher and 6 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Twenty years of behavioral nutrition- A reflection on the road less travelled.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Caroline VaillancourtÉcole de Nutrition, Centre de Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Université Laval, 2425 Rue de L'Agriculture, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Mavra AhmedDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.
Sara KirkSchool of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, 6230 South Street, Kjipuktuk (Halifax), NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Marie-Ève LabontéÉcole de Nutrition, Centre de Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Université Laval, 2425 Rue de L'Agriculture, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Amos LaarDepartment of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 13, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Catherine L MahSchool of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Leia MinakerSchool of Planning, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3T1, Canada.
Dana Lee OlstadDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
Monique Potvin KentSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, 600 Peter Morand Crescent, Ottawa, ON, K1G 5Z3, Canada.
Véronique ProvencherÉcole de Nutrition, Centre de Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Université Laval, 2425 Rue de L'Agriculture, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Rachel ProwseDivision of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada.
Kim D RaineSchool of Public Health, University of Alberta, 11405 87 Ave Northwest, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada.
Ashley SchramSchool of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), ANU College of Asia & the Pacific, The Australian National University, 8 Fellows Road, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2600, Australia.
Daniela Zavala-MoraScience Library, Université Laval, 1045 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Maryka Rancourt-BouchardÉcole de Nutrition, Centre de Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Université Laval, 2425 Rue de L'Agriculture, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Lana VanderleeÉcole de Nutrition, Centre de Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Université Laval, 2425 Rue de L'Agriculture, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada. lana.vanderlee@fsaa.ulaval.ca.ORCID 0000-0001-5384-1821

Funding

CIHR PJT-173367
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Numerous research methodologies have been used to examine food environments. Existing reviews synthesizing food environment measures have examined a limited number of domains or settings and none have specifically targeted Canada. This rapid review aimed to 1) map research methodologies and measures that have been used to assess food environments; 2) examine what food environment dimensions and equity related-factors have been assessed; and 3) identify research gaps and priorities to guide future research. A systematic search of primary articles evaluating the Canadian food environment in a real-world setting was conducted. Publications in English or French published in peer-reviewed journals between January 1 2010 and June 17 2021 and indexed in Web of Science, CAB Abstracts and Ovid MEDLINE were considered. The search strategy adapted an internationally-adopted food environment monitoring framework covering 7 domains (Food Marketing; Labelling; Prices; Provision; Composition; Retail; and Trade and Investment). The final sample included 220 articles. Overall, Trade and Investment (1%, n = 2), Labelling (7%, n = 15) and, to a lesser extent, Prices (14%, n = 30) were the least studied domains in Canada. Among Provision articles, healthcare (2%, n = 1) settings were underrepresented compared to school (67%, n = 28) and recreation and sport (24%, n = 10) settings, as was the food service industry (14%, n = 6) compared to grocery stores (86%, n = 36) in the Composition domain. The study identified a vast selection of measures employed in Canada overall and within single domains. Equity-related factors were only examined in half of articles (n = 108), mostly related to Retail (n = 81). A number of gaps remain that prevent a holistic and systems-level analysis of food environments in Canada. As Canada continues to implement policies to improve the quality of food environments in order to improve dietary patterns, targeted research to address identified gaps and harmonize methods across studies will help evaluate policy impact over time.

Indexed as

Food SupplyCanadaCommerceEnvironmentFoodFood LabelingHumansMarketingFood compositionFood environments, Monitoring, Research methodologies and measures, Food marketing, Food labellingFood pricesFood provisionFood retailFood trade and investment

Identifiers

PMID38373957
PMCPMC10875887

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.