Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in China

China has dedicated significant efforts to preventing obesity, but the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity remains a pressing public health issue. Therefore, unique solutions are required to address this challenge in China. As a research priority, the food environment plays a pivotal role in...

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Main Authors: Na Cong, Keumseok Koh, Mei-Po Kwan, Hongsheng Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Public Health Nutrition
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980024002209/type/journal_article
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author Na Cong
Keumseok Koh
Mei-Po Kwan
Hongsheng Zhang
author_facet Na Cong
Keumseok Koh
Mei-Po Kwan
Hongsheng Zhang
author_sort Na Cong
collection DOAJ
description China has dedicated significant efforts to preventing obesity, but the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity remains a pressing public health issue. Therefore, unique solutions are required to address this challenge in China. As a research priority, the food environment plays a pivotal role in addressing overweight and obesity. However, research on this topic in China lags behind that in other developed countries, and the conflicting global evidence on the association between the food environment and obesity cannot be directly applied to policymaking and intervention in China. In addition, the rapid advancement of digital technology has introduced complexities and uncertainties in the food environment. To address these challenges, we propose an alternative research framework through (a) dissecting the challenges associated with defining and measuring the food environment, (b) reorganising the relationship chains between the food environment and human diet/health and (c) taking into consideration digital platforms as crucial monitoring tools for studying the food environment. Our framework aims to unlock the potential of food environment research in the digital age, ultimately striving to tackle the overweight and obesity issues in China.
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issn 1368-9800
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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record_format Article
series Public Health Nutrition
spelling doaj-art-dbd3e5d11b394b70a8a897ad12d1e5202025-08-20T03:10:01ZengCambridge University PressPublic Health Nutrition1368-98001475-27272025-01-012810.1017/S1368980024002209Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in ChinaNa Cong0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4041-9493Keumseok Koh1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7263-2697Mei-Po Kwan2Hongsheng Zhang3Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of ChinaDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Social Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of ChinaDepartment of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of ChinaDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Social Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of ChinaChina has dedicated significant efforts to preventing obesity, but the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity remains a pressing public health issue. Therefore, unique solutions are required to address this challenge in China. As a research priority, the food environment plays a pivotal role in addressing overweight and obesity. However, research on this topic in China lags behind that in other developed countries, and the conflicting global evidence on the association between the food environment and obesity cannot be directly applied to policymaking and intervention in China. In addition, the rapid advancement of digital technology has introduced complexities and uncertainties in the food environment. To address these challenges, we propose an alternative research framework through (a) dissecting the challenges associated with defining and measuring the food environment, (b) reorganising the relationship chains between the food environment and human diet/health and (c) taking into consideration digital platforms as crucial monitoring tools for studying the food environment. Our framework aims to unlock the potential of food environment research in the digital age, ultimately striving to tackle the overweight and obesity issues in China.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980024002209/type/journal_articleFood environmentDigital platformObesityChinaSystematic framework
spellingShingle Na Cong
Keumseok Koh
Mei-Po Kwan
Hongsheng Zhang
Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in China
Public Health Nutrition
Food environment
Digital platform
Obesity
China
Systematic framework
title Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in China
title_full Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in China
title_fullStr Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in China
title_full_unstemmed Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in China
title_short Digital platform-based conceptual framework for food environment research in China
title_sort digital platform based conceptual framework for food environment research in china
topic Food environment
Digital platform
Obesity
China
Systematic framework
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980024002209/type/journal_article
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AT hongshengzhang digitalplatformbasedconceptualframeworkforfoodenvironmentresearchinchina