MRC Epidemiology Unit
Feat Case studies
Coventry City Council is using the Food environment assessment tool to support their bold ambition to improve public health through restricting the opening of new hot food takeaways. Feat is helping the Council make real impacts on the ground in the city.
Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council is using the Food environment assessment tool to help tackle health inequalities and foster collaboration between planners and public health teams.
Impact case study
Improving health and reducing inequalities by helping planners promote healthy food environments
News, blogs and lay summaries
How the Feat tool can help build healthier neighbourhoods – Nesta podcast – December 2023
Neighbourhoods with more takeaways amplify social inequalities in unhealthy eating and obesity – May 2016
Local takeaways create a double burden for obesity (The Conversation) – May 2016
The rise of the takeaway: Number of takeaways in deprived areas increases substantially over two decades – April 2015
Takeaway exposure associated with increased consumption and obesity – March 2014
Research papers
Data visualisation to support obesity policy: case studies of data tools for planning and transport policy in the UK. Pablo Monsivais, Oliver Francis, Robin Lovelace, Michael Chang, Emma Strachan & Thomas Burgoine. IJO 2019.
Examining the interaction of fast-food outlet exposure and income on diet and obesity: evidence from 51,361 UK Biobank participants. Thomas Burgoine, Chinmoy Sarkar, Chris J. Webster & Pablo Monsivais. IJBNPA 2018.
Interplay of socioeconomic status and supermarket distance is associated with excess obesity risk: a UK cross-sectional study. Thomas Burgoine, Joreintje D. Mackenbach, Jeroen Lakerveld, Nita G. Forouhi, Simon J. Griffin, Soren Brage, Nicholas J. Wareham & Pablo Monsivais. IJERPH 2017.
Utilization of Away-From-Home Food Establishments, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Dietary Pattern, and Obesity. Tarra L. Penney, Nicholas R. V. Jones, Jean Adams, Eva R. Maguire, Thomas Burgoine & Pablo Monsivais. AJPM 2017.
Does neighborhood fast-food outlet exposure amplify inequalities in diet and obesity? A cross-sectional study. Thomas Burgoine, Nita G. Forouhi, Simon J Griffin, Soren Brage, Nicholas J. Wareham & Pablo Monsivais. AJCN 2016.
Area deprivation and the food environment over time: a repeated cross-sectional study on takeaway outlet density and supermarket presence in Norfolk, UK, 1990 – 2008. Eva R. Maguire, Thomas Burgoine, Pablo Monsivais. Health & Place 2015.
Associations between exposure to takeaway food outlets, takeaway food consumption, and body weight in Cambridgeshire, UK: population based, cross sectional study. Thomas Burgoine, Nita G Forouhi, Simon J Griffin, Nicholas J Wareham, Pablo Monsivais. BMJ 2014.
Characterising food environment exposure at home, at work, and along commuting journeys using data on adults in the UK. Thomas Burgoine & Pablo Monsivais. IJBNPA 2013.
Media coverage
Highlights of a range of news coverage since 2014.
Children in poor areas exposed to five times as many fast food takeaways – December 2017
An analysis by the Guardian using data provided by CEDAR.
- Children in poor areas exposed to five times as many fast food takeaways (Guardian analysis using data provided by CEDAR)
- Fast food nation: do more takeaways near schools affect younger pupils’ diets? (Guardian)
- Reality Check: Why ban fast food within 400m of schools? (BBC)
- Poor children in England are socially engineered to be overweight (Quartz)
Guardian highlights Feat – July 2017
We worked with The Guardian newspaper as part of the Feat launch. The paper covered it from a number of angles:
- Large rise in takeaway shops highlights dominance of fast food in deprived areas (front page of the print edition)
- Fast food England: how many takeaways are near you? (Interactive visualisation using Feat)
- Does putting a cap on takeaways improve people’s health?
- Survey: are you worried about the food options available in your area?
The paper has compiled more of their coverage of takeaway food at www.theguardian.com/inequality/series/fast-food-uk
The rise of the takeaway – April 2015
- Fat chance of beating obesity as takeaways rise by 50% (The Times – £)
- Number of takeaways has risen by almost 50 per cent in 2 decades (Telegraph)
- Fast food Britain: The number of takeaways soars across the nation’s high streets (Independent)
- Fast food takeaway shops grow more rapidly in deprived areas of UK (Guardian)
- Takeaways should be limited in deprived areas says Cambridge University doctor (Daily Express)
- Takeaway boom fuelling obesity: Number up by 45% in some places as poorest areas now have more eateries than 20 years ago (Daily Mail)
- Study finds number of takeaway outlets increased significantly in 20 years (ITV News)
Takeaway exposure associated with increased consumption and obesity – March 2014
- Takeaway clampdowns ‘may combat obesity epidemic’ (BBC News)
- People who live or work near takeaways ‘are almost twice as likely to be obese’ (Guardian)
- People who live or work near takeaways ‘twice as likely to be obese’ (Independent)
- Living near take-aways can make you fat (Naked Scientists)
- Our Food Environment and Obesity – Huffington Post Blog by Prof Kevin Fenton