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Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between neighbourhood food environment and consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) and ultra-processed foods (UPF) in rural India and Bangladesh. Design: Cross-sectional study design. Using Food frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), dietary information was collected from individuals between February- April 2023. Regular consumption of F&V and UPF is assessed via 2 single questions, categorized as ‘yes’ (5-6 times/week, once a day, 2-3 times/day, 4-5 times/day, 6 or more times/day) and ‘no’ (never, once a week). Neighbourhood food environment is measured via density of F&V shops, average selling market price of F&V and average retail price of UPF. Multiple logistic regression models are used to examine relationships of interest adjusted for covariates. Copyright 2024 by Samira Choudhury, Afrin Zainab Bi, ANM Faijul Kabir and Prakashan C. Veettil. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. Setting: Rural districts of Nalanda, Rangpur, Rajshahi in India and Bangladesh. Participants: Individuals (n=7,222) participating in the TAFSSA Local Agri-Food Systems Survey questionnaire. Results: Higher density of F&V shops is associated with higher odds of regular consumption of F&V (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.02- 1.13) and lower odds of regular UPF consumption (OR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.94- 1.00). The average selling market price of F&V is associated with lower odds of regular consumption of F&V (OR = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.57-0.86). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher density of F&V shops with affordable fresh produce is associated with a higher prevalence of regular F&V consumption in rural South Asia. Food environment interventions aimed at increasing the availability of F&V shops, selling fresh produce at lower prices may facilitate healthier diets.

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