Social-urban context and food environment: approximations from a case study in Córdoba.

Abstract

The knowledge regarding the social and food environment is essential to analyze the process of determination of health. However, there is little evidence on this topic in Córdoba, Argentina.

The aims of this study were to identify the main socio-contextual characteristics of the city of Córdoba in 2010 and to describe the food environment (FE) in the area of ​​influence of a selected health center (HC), in the city of Córdoba in 2018.

This work is part of an University Social Responsibility (USR) project. First, an ecological study of multiple groups was carried out, including all neighborhoods of Córdoba city (n=533). A Principal Component Factorial Analysis, based on sociodemographic indicators obtained from the last census (2010), was applied in order to identify the dominant social scenarios of Córdoba city. In a second stage, and based on a consensus with the social actors of the USR, HC N° 22 was selected to develop a case study. The area of ​​influence of the selected center was included in the study, involving part of the Obrero, Alberdi and Alto Alberdi neighborhoods. The food retail dimension of the FE was assessed, based on direct observation and registration in the Maps.Me application, and also using the Google Street View tool.

Four dominant sociodemographic scenarios were identified in Córdoba city. The neighborhoods of the area of ​​influence of HC Nº22 adhered more to the scenarios characterized by better material and educational living conditions. The most frequent food retails were convenience stores and kiosks, while the less frequent were supermarkets, dietetics and food distribution networks. Four (11.7%) false positives were found in the number of stores, dietetics, bakeries and food distribution networks, and two false negatives (5.8%) in the number of kiosks and chicken shops/butchers.

There are several sociodemographic scenarios in the city of Córdoba, presenting the area of ​​influence of the selected CS a relatively favorable social context and predominance of food outlets considered as unhealthy. Google's Street View tool provided good FE coverage in the area studied. The innovative nature of this work at the local level is highlighted, and its importance to recover the contextual notion in social and nutritional epidemiology.