Food swamps in Campinas, Brazil

Abstract

The characteristics of the food environment can interfere with physical access to healthy foods and accentuate health inequalities. The presence of food swamps, i.e., the greater availability of ultra-processed food and commercial establishments compared to those that sell healthier options, are associated with the consumption of unhealthy foods. This study identified the spatial distribution of these establishments in Campinas, São Paulo. Fast-food restaurants, open-air organic/agroecological food markets and supermarkets were geocoded. Regional administrations (RAs) with greater social vulnerability according to the 2010 Census and with a greater availability of fast-food restaurants in relation to open-air food markets and supermarkets were considered food swamps. The less vulnerable neighborhoods had a higher concentration of all types of commercial food establishments compared to the most vulnerable regions. In Campinas, of eighteen RAs, five were considered food swamps. The findings reinforce the need for actions to improve exposure to healthy foods in more vulnerable neighborhoods.

Key words: Inequalities; Food; Socioeconomic factors