Measuring Variation in Infant Mortality and Deaths of Despair by U.S. Congressional Districts in Pennsylvania: A Methodological Case Study.

Many ecological studies examine health outcomes and disparities using administrative boundaries such as census tracts, counties, or states. These boundaries help us to understand the patterning of health by place along with impacts of policies implemented at these levels. However, additional geo-political units, or units with both geographic and political meaning, such as congressional districts, present further opportunities to connect research with public policy. We provide a step-by-step guide in how to conduct disparities-focused analysis at the congressional district level, and as an applied case study we use geocoded vital statistics data from 2010-2015 to examine levels and disparities of infant mortality (IM) and deaths of despair (DoD) in the 19 U.S. congressional districts of Pennsylvania for the 111th-112th (2009-2012) Congresses, and 18 districts for the 113th-114th (2013-2016) Congresses. We also provide recommendations for extending congressional district level analysis to other outcomes, states, and geopolitical boundaries such as state legislative districts. Increased surveillance of health outcomes at the congressional district level can help prompt policy action, advocacy, and hopefully, reduce rates and disparities in health.

Spatial Heterogeneity in Fatal Overdose Rate Trends in Mexican Cities: 2005-2021.

Objectives. To describe national and city-level fatal drug overdose trends between 2005 and 2021 in Mexico. Methods. We calculated fatal overdose rates at the city level in 3-year periods from 2005 to 2021 and annually at the national level for people aged 15 to 64 years in Mexico. We calculated rate differences and rate ratios for each city between periods. Results. The national fatal overdose rate was 0.53 overdose deaths per 100 000 population and was almost twice as high in urban than in nonurban areas. The national fatal overdose rate was stable over the period 2005 to 2014 and increased monotonically to a peak in 2021. Fatal overdose rates varied across cities. Cities with the 8 highest fatal overdose rates in the period were all in states along the US-Mexico border. Conclusions. Fatal overdoses have doubled over the past 15 years in Mexico. Overdose rates are particularly high and increasing in cities close to the US-Mexico border. Public Health Implications. There is a need for enhanced overdose surveillance data and coordinated harm reduction strategies, particularly in the northern border region of Mexico. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(7):705-713. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307650).

Area-Level Social Vulnerability and Severe COVID-19: A Case-Control Study Using Electronic Health Records from Multiple Health Systems in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region.

Knowledge about neighborhood characteristics that predict disease burden can be used to guide equity-based public health interventions or targeted social services. We used a case-control design to examine the association between area-level social vulnerability and severe COVID-19 using electronic health records (EHR) from a regional health information hub in the greater Philadelphia region. Severe COVID-19 cases (n = 15,464 unique patients) were defined as those with an inpatient admission and a diagnosis of COVID-19 in 2020. Controls (n = 78,600; 5:1 control-case ratio) were a random sample of individuals who did not have a COVID-19 diagnosis from the same geographic area. Retrospective data on comorbidities and demographic variables were extracted from EHR and linked to area-level social vulnerability index (SVI) data using ZIP codes. Models adjusted for different sets of covariates showed incidence rate ratios (IRR) ranging from 1.15 (95% CI, 1.13-1.17) in the model adjusted for individual-level age, sex, and marital status to 1.09 (95% CI, 1.08-1.11) in the fully adjusted model, which included individual-level comorbidities and race/ethnicity. The fully adjusted model indicates that a 10% higher area-level SVI was associated with a 9% higher risk of severe COVID-19. Individuals in neighborhoods with high social vulnerability were more likely to have severe COVID-19 after accounting for comorbidities and demographic characteristics. Our findings support initiatives incorporating neighborhood-level social determinants of health when planning interventions and allocating resources to mitigate epidemic respiratory diseases, including other coronavirus or influenza viruses.

Association Between Household Deprivation and Living in Informal Settlements and Incidence of Diarrhea in Children Under 5 in Eleven Latin American Cities.

Diarrhea is a leading cause of death in children globally, mostly due to inadequate sanitary conditions and overcrowding. Poor housing quality and lack of tenure security that characterize informal settlements are key underlying contributors to these risk factors for childhood diarrhea deaths. The objective of this study is to better understand the physical attributes of informal settlement households in Latin American cities that are associated with childhood diarrhea. We used data from a household survey (Encuesta CAF) conducted by the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), using responses from sampled individuals in eleven cities. We created a household deprivation score based on household water and sewage infrastructure, overcrowding, flooring and wall material, and security of tenure. We fitted a multivariable logistic regression model to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) to test the association between the deprivation score and its individual components and childhood diarrhea during the prior 2 weeks. We included a total of 4732 households with children, out of which 12.2% had diarrhea in the 2-week period prior to completing the survey. After adjusting for respondent age, gender, and city, we found a higher risk of diarrhea associated with higher household deprivation scores. Specifically, we found that the odds of diarrhea for children living in a mild and severe deprived household were 1.04 (95% CI 0.84-1.28) and 3.19 times (95% CI 1.80-5.63) higher, respectively, in comparison to households with no deprivation. These results highlight the connections between childhood health and deprived living conditions common in informal settlements.

Invited Commentary: Some Social Epidemiologic Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In their recent article, Dimitris et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2022;191(6):980-986) presented a series of challenges modern epidemiology has faced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including challenges around the scientific progress, epidemiologic methods, interventions, equity, team science, and training needed to address these issues. Here, 2 social epidemiologists who have been working on COVID-19 inequities reflect on further lessons with an added year of perspective. We focus on 2 key challenges: 1) dominant biomedical individualistic narratives around the production of population health, and 2) the role of profit in policy-making. We articulate a need to consider social epidemiologic approaches, including acknowledging the importance of considering how societal systems lead to health inequities. To address these challenges, future (and current) epidemiologists should be trained in theories of population health distribution and political structures of governance. Last, we close with the need for better investment in public health infrastructure as a crucial step toward achieving population health equity.

Longitudinal association between density of retail food stores and body mass index in Mexican school children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is rapidly increasing in Mexican children and adolescents, while food environments are rapidly changing. We evaluated the association between changes in retail food stores and change in body mass index (BMI) in Mexican children and adolescents. METHODS: Data on 7507 participants aged 5-19 years old came from the Mexican Family Life Survey 2002-2012. Density of food stores at the municipal-level (number of food stores/area in km2) came from the Economic Censuses of 1999, 2004 and 2009. We categorized food stores as small food retail (small neighborhood stores, tiendas de abarrotes in Mexico), specialty foods, fruit/vegetables, convenience foods, and supermarkets. Associations between change in food stores and change in BMI were estimated using five longitudinal linear fixed-effects regression models (one per type of food store) adjusted for age, parental education, municipal-level socioeconomic deprivation and population density. Density of each food store type was operationalized as quartiles. Analyses were stratified by urbanization. RESULTS: There was an inverse dose-response association between increases in fruit/vegetable store density and BMI (ß = -0.455 kg/m2, ß = -0.733 kg/m2, and ß = -0.838 kg/m2 in the second, third, and fourth quartile). In non-urban areas, children living in municipalities with the highest density of small food retail stores experienced a reduction in BMI (ß = -0.840 kg/m2). In urban areas, there was an inverse association between specialty food stores with BMI (ß = -0.789 kg/m2 in third quartile, and ß = -1.204 kg/m2 in fourth quartile). We observed dynamic associations with age; results suggested stronger associations in adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of fruit/vegetable stores may influence a reduction in children and adolescents BMI. These results indicate that policy approaches could be tailored by type of food store - with some consideration for level of urbanization and children's age.

Social inequalities and COVID-19 mortality between neighborhoods of Bariloche city, Argentina.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how intraurban inequalities are likely to reinforce health and social inequalities. Studies at small area level help to visualize social inequialities hidden in large areas as cities or regions. AIM: To describe the spatial patterning of COVID-19 death rates in neighborhoods of the medium-sized city of Bariloche, Argentina, and to explore its relationship with the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods. METHODS: We conducted an ecological study in Bariloche, Argentina. The outcome was counts of COVID-19 deaths between June 2020 and May 2022 obtained from the surveillance system and georeferenced to neighborhoods. We estimated crude- and age-adjusted death rates by neighborhood using a Bayesian approach through a Poisson regression that accounts for spatial-autocorrelation via Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) structure. We also analyzed associations of age-adjusted death rates with area-level socioeconomic indicators. RESULTS: Median COVID-19 death rate across neighborhoods was 17.9 (10th/90th percentile of 6.3/35.2) per 10,000 inhabitants. We found lower age-adjusted rates in the city core and western part of the city. The age-adjusted death rate in the most deprived areas was almost double than in the least deprived areas, with an education-related relative index of inequality (RII) of 2.14 (95% CI 1.55 to 2.96). CONCLUSION: We found spatial heterogeneity and intraurban variability in age-adjusted COVID-19 death rates, with a clear social gradient, and a higher burden in already deprived areas. This highlights the importance of studying inequalities in health outcomes across small areas to inform placed-based interventions.

How Can We Measure Alcohol Outlet Density Around Schools? A Comparison Between Two Buffer-Based Methods.

Measuring the density of alcohol outlets around schools is a critical step towards understanding the drivers of drinking among adolescents. Different methodologies have been used in the literature for this purpose, but the implications of using one methodology or another have not been clearly assessed. Our aim was to compare different methods to measure alcohol outlet density and highlight under which characteristics of the environment might be best using each approach. We used Geographic Information Systems to geolocate schools (n = 576) and alcohol outlets (n = 21,732) in Madrid. We defined the density of alcohol outlets as the number of establishments within an area of 400 m around schools measured using two buffering methods: crow flies' and street network distances. We evaluated the agreement between both methods visually and through regression models, including street connectivity, population density, and density of recreational venues as predictors of disagreement. The density of alcohol outlets around schools was higher using crow flies' distances compared to street network distances. The differences between methodologies were wider in areas of higher density of outlets, especially in the downtown areas, where there are higher population density and street connectivity. Our results suggest that the spatial characteristics and morphology of the study area (e.g., street connectivity and population density) should be considered when deciding the methodology to be used to measure alcohol outlet density. Future studies should explore the implications of different exposure measures in their association with drinking prevalence and consumption patterns among different geographical contexts.

Does Urban Greenspace Reduce Mortality Inequalities Based on Poverty, Race, or Both in Philadelphia, PA?

While past research suggests that urban greenspace is associated with weaker income-based mortality inequities, little is known about associations with racial inequities, which may be distinct owing to historical and contemporary forms of racism. We quantified the extent to which different measures of greenspace modified socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities in all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. For every residential census tract in Philadelphia, PA (N = 376), we linked counts of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (years 2008-2015) with measures of greenspace (proportion tree canopy or grass/shrub cover, proportion residents reporting park access, and the normalized difference vegetation index measure of overall greenness) and American Community Survey-based measures of sociodemographic composition (proportion of residents living in poverty, proportion identifying as non-Hispanic Black, and the index of concentration at the extremes (ICE) representing racialized economic deprivation). We used age- and sex-adjusted negative binomial models, with the natural logarithm of age-specific population counts as an offset, to quantify the magnitude of inequities by each composition variable, overall and stratified by categories of each greenspace measure. Inequities in mortality were weaker among neighborhoods with higher proportion grass/shrub cover or overall greenness. The most substantially narrowed inequities were those by the ICE. Mortality inequities did not differ substantially by perceived park access, and tree canopy was associated with weaker ICE-based inequities only. In this ecologic analysis, neighborhood greenspace was associated with weaker mortality inequities. However, associations varied across greenspace type and sociodemographic composition metrics, with generally stronger associations with overall greenness and grass/shrub coverage, and for ICE-basedinequities.

Spatial Inequities in Life Expectancy in Small Areas of Buenos Aires, Argentina 2015-2017.

Studies of life expectancy (LE) in small areas of cities are relatively common in high-income countries but rare in Latin American countries. Small-area estimation methods can help to describe and quantify inequities in LE between neighborhoods and their predictors. Our objective was to analyze the distribution and spatial patterning of LE across small areas of Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA), Argentina, and its association with socioeconomic characteristics. As part of the SALURBAL project, we used georeferenced death certificates in 2015-2017 for CABA, Argentina. We used a spatial Bayesian Poisson model using the TOPALS method to estimate age- and sex-specific mortality rates. We used life tables to estimate LE at birth. We obtained data on neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics from the 2010 census and analyzed their associations. LE at birth was higher for women (median of across neighborhoods = 81.1 years) compared to men (76.7 years). We found a gap in LE of 9.3 (women) and 14.9 years (men) between areas with the highest and the lowest LE. Better socioeconomic characteristics were associated with higher LE. For example, mean differences in LE at birth in areas with highest versus lowest values of composite SES index were 2.79 years (95% CI: 2.30 to 3.28) in women and 5.61 years (95% CI: 4.98 to 6.24) in men. We found large spatial inequities in LE across neighborhoods of a large city in Latin America, highlighting the importance of place-based policies to address this gap.

Exercise facilities and the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the city of Madrid.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to study the association between the availability of exercise facilities and the likelihood of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the adult population of Madrid, Spain. METHODS: We analysed the electronic medical records of all 1,270,512 residents of Madrid aged 40-75 years in 2017. Exercise facility availability was defined as the count of exercise facilities in a 1000 m street network buffer around each residential building entrance. Poisson regression with standard errors clustered at census tract level was used to assess prevalence ratios of exercise facility availability tertiles and obesity and type 2 diabetes. We also examined stratified results by tertiles of area-level socioeconomic status (SES) and sex. RESULTS: People living in areas with lower availability of exercise facilities had a higher prevalence of obesity (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.22 [95% CI 1.20, 1.25]) and diabetes (PR 1.38 [95% CI 1.34, 1.43]). We observed effect modification by area-level SES (p<0.001), with stronger associations for residents living in low-SES areas and no association for residents living in high-SES areas. Associations with type 2 diabetes were stronger among women compared with men, while associations with obesity were similar by sex. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: People living in areas with low availability of exercise facilities had a higher prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and this association was strongest in low-SES areas and for women. Understanding the potential role of exercise facilities in driving inequities in obesity and type 2 diabetes prevalence may inform interventions to reduce health inequities.

Heterogeneity in Spatial Inequities in COVID-19 Vaccination Across 16 Large US Cities.

Differences in vaccination coverage can perpetuate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disparities. We explored the association between neighborhood-level social vulnerability and COVID-19 vaccination coverage in 16 large US cities from the beginning of the vaccination campaign in December 2020 through September 2021. We calculated the proportion of fully vaccinated adults in 866 zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) of 16 large US cities: Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, all in California; Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, all in Texas. We computed absolute and relative total and Social Vulnerability Index-related inequities by city. COVID-19 vaccination coverage was 0.75 times (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 0.81) or 16 percentage points (95% confidence interval: 12.1, 20.3) lower in neighborhoods with the highest social vulnerability as compared with those with the lowest. These inequities were heterogeneous, with cities in the West generally displaying narrower inequities in both the absolute and relative scales. The Social Vulnerability Index domains of socioeconomic status and of household composition and disability showed the strongest associations with vaccination coverage. Inequities in COVID-19 vaccinations hamper efforts to achieve health equity, as they mirror and could lead to even wider inequities in other COVID-19 outcomes.

Heterogeneity in Disparities in Life Expectancy Across US Metropolitan Areas.

BACKGROUND: Life expectancy in the United States has declined since 2014 but characterization of disparities within and across metropolitan areas of the country is lacking. METHODS: Using census tract-level life expectancy from the 2010 to 2015 US Small-area Life Expectancy Estimates Project, we calculate 10 measures of total and income-based disparities in life expectancy at birth, age 25, and age 65 within and across 377 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) of the United States. RESULTS: We found wide heterogeneity in disparities in life expectancy at birth across MSAs and regions: MSAs in the West show the narrowest disparities (absolute disparity: 8.7 years, relative disparity: 1.1), while MSAs in the South (absolute disparity: 9.1 years, relative disparity: 1.1) and Midwest (absolute disparity: 9.8 years, relative disparity: 1.1) have the widest life expectancy disparities. We also observed greater variability in life expectancy across MSAs for lower income census tracts (coefficient of variation [CoV] 3.7 for first vs. tenth decile of income) than for higher income census tracts (CoV 2.3). Finally, we found that a series of MSA-level variables, including larger MSAs and greater proportion college graduates, predicted wider life expectancy disparities for all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic and policy factors likely help explain variation in life expectancy disparities within and across metro areas.

The Impact of Keeping Indoor Dining Closed on COVID-19 Rates Among Large US Cities: A Quasi-Experimental Design.

BACKGROUND: Indoor dining is one of the potential drivers of COVID-19 transmission. We used the heterogeneity among state government preemption of city indoor dining closures to estimate the impact of keeping indoor dining closed on COVID-19 incidence. METHODS: We obtained case rates and city or state reopening dates from March to October 2020 in 11 US cities. We categorized cities as treatment cities that were allowed by the state to reopen but kept indoor dining closed or comparison cities that would have kept indoor dining closed but that were preempted by their state and had to reopen indoor dining. We modeled associations using a difference-in-difference approach and an event study specification. We ran negative binomial regression models, with city-day as the unit of analysis, city population as an offset, and controlling for time-varying nonpharmaceutical interventions, as well as city and time fixed effects in sensitivity analysis and the event study specification. RESULTS: Keeping indoor dining closed was associated with a 55% (IRR = 0.45; 95% confidence intervals = 0.21, 0.99) decline in the new COVID-19 case rate over 6 weeks compared with cities that reopened indoor dining, and these results were consistent after testing alternative modeling strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Keeping indoor dining closed may be directly or indirectly associated with reductions in COVID-19 spread. Evidence of the relationship between indoor dining and COVID-19 case rates can inform policies to restrict indoor dining as a tailored strategy to reduce COVID-19 incidence. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B902.

COVID-19 Outcomes Among the Hispanic Population of 27 Large US Cities, 2020-2021.

Objectives. To examine racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 outcomes between Hispanics and Whites across 27 US jurisdictions whose health departments are members of the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC). Methods. Using surveillance data from the BCHC COVID-19 dashboard as of mid-June 2021, we computed crude incidence, age-adjusted hospitalization and mortality, and full vaccination coverage rates for Hispanics and Whites by city. We estimated relative and absolute disparities cumulatively and for 2020 and 2021 and explored associations between city-level social vulnerability and the magnitude of disparities. Results. In most of the cities with available COVID-19 incidence data, rates among Hispanics were 2.2 to 6.7 times higher than those among Whites. In all cities, Hispanics had higher age-adjusted hospitalization (1.5-8.6 times as high) and mortality (1.4-6.2 times as high) rates. Hispanics had lower vaccination coverage in all but 1 city. Disparities in incidence and hospitalizations narrowed in 2021, whereas disparities in mortality remained similar. Disparities in incidence, hospitalization, mortality, and vaccination rates were wider in cities with lower social vulnerability. Conclusions. A deeper exploration of racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 outcomes is essential to understand and prevent disparities among marginalized communities. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(7): 1034-1044. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306809).

Tracking COVID-19 Inequities Across Jurisdictions Represented in the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC): The COVID-19 Health Inequities in BCHC Cities Dashboard.

Objectives. To describe the creation of an interactive dashboard to advance the understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic from an equity and urban health perspective across 30 large US cities that are members of the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC). Methods. We leveraged the Drexel‒BCHC partnership to define the objectives and audience for the dashboard and developed an equity framework to conceptualize COVID-19 inequities across social groups, neighborhoods, and cities. We compiled data on COVID-19 trends and inequities by race/ethnicity, neighborhood, and city, along with neighborhood- and city-level demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and built an interactive dashboard and Web platform to allow interactive comparisons of these inequities across cities. Results. We launched the dashboard on January 21, 2021, and conducted several dissemination activities. As of September 2021, the dashboard included data on COVID-19 trends for the 30 cities, on inequities by race/ethnicity in 21 cities, and on inequities by neighborhood in 15 cities. Conclusions. This dashboard allows public health practitioners to contextualize racial/ethnic and spatial inequities in COVID-19 across large US cities, providing valuable insights for policymakers. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(6):904-912. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306708).

Excess Mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Cities of Chile: Magnitude, Inequalities, and Urban Determinants.

We estimated excess mortality in Chilean cities during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with city-level factors. We used mortality, and social and built environment data from the SALURBAL study for 21 Chilean cities, composed of 81 municipalities or "comunas", grouped in 4 macroregions. We estimated excess mortality by comparing deaths from January 2020 up to June 2021 vs 2016-2019, using a generalized additive model. We estimated a total of 21,699 (95%CI 21,693 to 21,704) excess deaths across the 21 cities. Overall relative excess mortality was highest in the Metropolitan (Santiago) and the North regions (28.9% and 22.2%, respectively), followed by the South and Center regions (17.6% and 14.1%). At the city-level, the highest relative excess mortality was found in the Northern cities of Calama and Iquique (around 40%). Cities with higher residential overcrowding had higher excess mortality. In Santiago, capital of Chile, municipalities with higher educational attainment had lower relative excess mortality. These results provide insight into the heterogeneous impact of COVID-19 in Chile, which has served as a magnifier of preexisting urban health inequalities, exhibiting different impacts between and within cities. Delving into these findings could help prioritize strategies addressed to prevent deaths in more vulnerable communities.

Urban Scaling of Health Outcomes: a Scoping Review.

Urban scaling is a framework that describes how city-level characteristics scale with variations in city size. This scoping review mapped the existing evidence on the urban scaling of health outcomes to identify gaps and inform future research. Using a structured search strategy, we identified and reviewed a total of 102 studies, a majority set in high-income countries using diverse city definitions. We found several historical studies that examined the dynamic relationships between city size and mortality occurring during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In more recent years, we documented heterogeneity in the relation between city size and health. Measles and influenza are influenced by city size in conjunction with other factors like geographic proximity, while STIs, HIV, and dengue tend to occur more frequently in larger cities. NCDs showed a heterogeneous pattern that depends on the specific outcome and context. Homicides and other crimes are more common in larger cities, suicides are more common in smaller cities, and traffic-related injuries show a less clear pattern that differs by context and type of injury. Future research should aim to understand the consequences of urban growth on health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, capitalize on longitudinal designs, systematically adjust for covariates, and examine the implications of using different city definitions.

Accessibility and availability of alcohol outlets around schools: An ecological study in the city of Madrid, Spain, according to socioeconomic area-level.

Neighborhood accessibility and availability of alcohol products has been associated with increased alcohol consumption and harms among adolescents. This availability has been shown to be higher in neighborhoods with lower socio-economic status (SES). The aim of this study was to examine inequalities in alcohol outlet density and proximity around schools by area-level SES in Madrid, Spain. Data on schools, SES, alcohol outlets and population density at census tract level were obtained through public databases from the local government of Madrid. We examined (1) density as the number of alcohol outlets around schools within 3 buffers (i.e. 200 m, 400 m and 800 m) and (2) proximity as the distance from schools to their nearest alcohol outlet. We performed multilevel analyses to examine the associations between alcohol outlet density and proximity and SES, adjusted by population density. Secondary schools (n = 576) located in less deprived areas had lower densities of alcohol outlets at walking distances of 200 and 400 m (50% and 37% lower, respectively p < 0.05). No significant differences were found for the proximity measures. The socioeconomic level of the area in which adolescents go to school is a determinant of their exposure to alcohol, where those who study in high SES areas have lower exposure to alcohol outlets. This study highlights the need to prioritize equity in the design and implementation of policies to limit alcohol accessibility among adolescents, including establishing minimum distances between schools and alcohol outlets or limiting the number of outlets per inhabitant in neighborhoods.

Food availability and affordability in a Mediterranean urban context: associations by store type and area-level socio-economic status.

OBJECTIVE: Although food environments have been highlighted as potentially effective targets to improve population diets, evidence on Mediterranean food environments is lacking. We examined differences in food availability and affordability in Madrid (Spain) by store type and area-level socio-economic status (SES). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Trained researchers conducted food store audits using the validated Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores for Mediterranean contexts (NEMS-S-MED) tool to measure the availability and price of twelve food groups (specific foods = 35). We computed NEMS-S-MED scores and summarised price data with a Relative Price Index (RPI, comparing prices across stores) and an Affordability Index (normalising prices by area-level income). We compared the availability and affordability of 'healthier-less healthy' food pairs, scores between food store types (supermarkets, specialised, convenience stores and others) and area-level SES using ANOVA and multi-level regression models. SETTING: City of Madrid. 2016 and 2019 to cover a representative sample. PARTICIPANTS: Food stores within a socio-economically diverse sample of sixty-three census tracts (n 151). RESULTS: Supermarkets had higher food availability (37·5/49 NEMS-S-MED points), compared to convenience stores (13·5/49) and specialised stores (8/49). Supermarkets offered lower prices (RPI: 0·83) than specialised stores (RPI: 0·97) and convenience stores (RPI: 2·06). Both 'healthy' and 'less healthy' items were more available in supermarkets. We found no differences in food availability or price by area-level SES, but affordability was higher in higher-income areas. CONCLUSIONS: Supermarkets offered higher food availability and affordability for healthy and less healthy food items. Promoting healthy food availability through supermarkets and specialised stores and/or limiting access to convenience stores are promising policy options to achieve a healthier food environment.