(P22-031-23) Baltimore Food Environment for Adolescents (B'EAt) Study: A Protocol for Assessing the Adolescent Relationship With Local Food Environments Within Baltimore City

Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests the rapid rise in obesogenic food environments affects human developmental periods, including adolescence. The school food environment and its surrounding area is a key component of adolescent dietary patterns, as they increase their agency in obtaining and consuming food. Although adolescents spend nearly half of their active hours in school or commuting, there is sparse evidence on how adolescents choose food outlets to visit or food and beverage items to purchase during these school hours. This study aims to determine how the food environment available to Baltimore City High School students during commuting and school hours influences dietary choices made by adolescents.

Methods: Thirty Baltimore City High School Students (15-18y) will be recruited through the University of Maryland CURE Scholars Program. Upon enrollment, demographic information and informed consent will be obtained from participants and/or their guardians prior to an online pre-interview survey and an in-depth interview. The survey will ask about food outlets frequently visited and includes a modified version of the Maryland Nutrition Questionnaire for Adolescents ages 11- 21. Interview questions will ask about the kinds of exposure to and interactions with their food environment during school and commuting hours. A modified version of “Mapping Everyday Life”, a mapping instrument used to plot students’ route to and from school and the food outlets frequented during their commutes, will be used as we interview the participants. Participants will be asked why they chose a specific food outlet based on factors such as convenience, taste, and cost. The research team will transcribe and analyze the interviews for thematic components using Taguette.

Results: N/A, protocol

Conclusions: In-depth interviews of Baltimore adolescents’ perspectives will allow for a deeper understanding of the local food environment and its influence on their relationship with 1) food purchasing decisions and 2) dietary choices. Results of the study aim to provide insight for future modifications to the food environments surrounding Baltimore City Public Schools that can encourage dietary patterns consistent with the dietary recommendations for obesity prevention.

Funding Sources: NIMHD, NIH, award number P50MD017348