Exploring the Retail Food Environment Surrounding Two Secondary Schools with Predominantly Pacific Populations in Tonga and New Zealand to Enable the Development of Mapping Methods Appropriate for Testing in a Classroom

Rates of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are disproportionately high among people of Pacific ethnicity. Nutrition-related environmental exposures including food access and quality contribute to the matrix of factors impacting risk. Preventative interventions in adolescence and the opportunity to integrate health promotion into school-based learning are often overlooked. This study tested the potential of a low-cost method to map the retail food environment in a 1 km radius of two secondary schools in low socioeconomic communities with predominantly Pacific populations, in Tonga and New Zealand (NZ). Mapping utilized Google Earth, Google Maps, government maps, and observations. A rubric was developed to categorize food quality. Outlets within a 1 km radius of each school, (Tonga, n = 150; NZ, n = 52) stocked predominantly unhealthy foods. The NZ data compared favorably to previous studies, indicating the method was valid. The Tongan data is novel and indicates that alternative strategies can be used when access to GIS-type tools is limited. The method produced visual data that has the potential to be analyzed using strategies appropriate for secondary schools. The method should now be tested in classrooms to assess its potential to support school-age students to engage in mapping and critiquing the retail food environment.

Automated summary

Studies show that rates of noncommunicable diseases are high among people of Pacific ethnicity, with nutrition-related environmental factors playing a significant role. Preventative interventions during adolescence and integrating health promotion into school-based learning are often neglected. The research tested a low-cost method to map the retail food environment around schools in Tonga and New Zealand, revealing that outlets within a 1 km radius mainly stocked unhealthy foods. This method could be a valuable tool for analyzing and critiquing the retail food environment in secondary schools.