Understanding the Density and Distribution of Restaurants in Los Angeles County to Inform Local Public Health Practice

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Gase, Lauren N. ; Green, Gabrielle ; Montes, Christine ; Kuo, Tony
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  To describe the potential reach of restaurant-based strategies that seek to improve the healthfulness of menu options, it is important to understand the local restaurant environment, including the extent to which restaurants subject to policy mandates are located in communities disproportionately affected by diet-related diseases.
  
  Methods
  
  This cross-sectional study examined the restaurant environment in Los Angeles County, a large jurisdiction with diverse geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, specifically 1) the number and characteristics of restaurants; 2) the association between neighborhood sociodemographics and restaurant density; and 3) the association between neighborhood sociodemographics and restaurant characteristics, including chain status (large chain, small chain, independent restaurant). Data sources were 1) industry data on restaurant location and characteristics (N = 24,292 restaurants) and 2) US Census data on neighborhood sociodemographics (N = 247 neighborhoods). We conducted descriptive and bivariate analyses at the restaurant and neighborhood level.
  
  Results
  
  Countywide, only 26.5% of all restaurants were part of a large chain (a chain with ≥20 locations). We found positive associations between restaurant density and neighborhood proportions of non-Hispanic white residents and residents with more than a high school education. We found limited support to suggest a greater density of large chains in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status.
  
  Conclusion
  
  Results highlight the potentially limited reach of strategies targeting chain restaurants and point to the importance of including small chain restaurants and independent restaurants in public health efforts to improve the healthfulness of restaurants. Understanding where restaurants are in relation to priority populations is a critical step to planning strategies that address diet-related disparities.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Food Supply Humans Original Research Public Health Administration Public Health Practice Residence Characteristics Restaurants Socioeconomic Factors
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 16
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180278
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Pubmed ID:
  30653448
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC6341821
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U58 DP005509/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  California
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  16
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c6157334b1a971780ed0b768581c5b4ea358b8c5c2dd1d7ba54ebd9c0e0e12b07d7ea441bb4f26debc5c17480d0c4498d4e2f6dc8997a1707e3f91ae8aa1460e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/76594/cdc_76594_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 336.90 KB ]