# Food Environment Around Schools in a Capital City in Southern Brazil: Changes in the Availability of Commercial Food Establishments Between 2012 and 2019

## TL;DR

This study found that the number of food businesses near schools in a Brazilian city grew significantly between 2012 and 2019, with more selling unhealthy ultra-processed foods.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the shift toward ultra-processed food availability near schools in a Brazilian capital city over seven years.

## Key findings

- The number of food establishments around schools increased by 63% between 2012 and 2019.
- There was a significant rise in mixed and ultra-processed food-selling establishments.
- The increase in ultra-processed food availability occurred at the expense of fresh food establishments.

## Abstract

Objective: The objective of this article was to perform a comparative analysis of the changes in the availability of commercial food establishments around the schools in a Brazilian capital city. Methods: This is a comparative analysis between two cross-sectional panels performed in 2012 and 2019 in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Secondary data from different sources were used. The location data of schools and establishments were georeferenced. For the analysis of the surroundings of schools, a network buffer of 800 m was considered. The establishments were classified based on the foods they primarily sold: fresh, mixed and ultra-processed foods. The chi-square and Wilcoxon tests were applied for the analyses, considering a significance level of 95% (p < 0.05). Results: The number of food establishments around schools increased by 63%. There was a statistically significant growth in mixed (p = 0.008) and ultra-processed (p = 0.024) food- selling establishments. Conclusion: We conclude that the increase in establishments selling ultra-processed foods around schools at the expense of establishments selling fresh food deserves attention. This condition requires public policies that help promote healthier environments, thus contributing to the health of schoolchildren.