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Volume 22
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10.3390/ijerph22091331
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

What Is There to Buy? An Analysis of the Food Environment in Public and Private Schools in the Federal District

by
Giovanna Soutinho Araújo
1,2,*,
Vivian S. S. Gonçalves
3,
Ariene Silva do Carmo
1,
Maurício T. L. de Vasconcellos
4 and
Natacha Toral
1
1
Postgraduate Program in Human Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Center for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition—NESNUT, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil
2
Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Universidade do Distrito Federal Professor Jorge Amaury Maia Nunes (UnDF), Brasília 71503-502, DF, Brazil
3
Graduate Program in Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil
4
Sociedade para o Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa Científica—SCIENCE, Rio de Janeiro 20231-050, RJ, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(9), 1331; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22091331
Submission received: 11 July 2025 / Revised: 16 August 2025 / Accepted: 21 August 2025 / Published: 26 August 2025
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

This descriptive ecological study evaluated the food environment of 18 public and private schools in the Federal District (DF), Brazil, by analyzing food availability within schools and in their surroundings (250 m, 400 m, and 800 m buffers). Food retail outlets (FROs) were georeferenced and classified according to the NOVA food classification. School principals were interviewed to assess the in-school food environment. Analyses considered the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI; low or medium/high) and school type. Among 911 FROs identified, 40.2% predominantly sold ultra-processed products. Most schools (83.3% within a 250 m radius) had at least one nearby FRO. Private schools—mostly in low-SVI areas—had higher densities of surrounding FROs at all buffer distances, with significance for total density at 400 m (p = 0.03) and for unhealthy outlets at 800 m (p < 0.01). Low-SVI areas had higher densities of both healthy (p = 0.01) and unhealthy (p < 0.01) outlets, with differences across multiple buffers. In canteens, sugar-sweetened beverages were the most common ultra-processed items (75%). The median ratio of ultra-processed to minimally processed food subgroups was 2.7 (0.5–6.0), and all private schools with a canteen sold at least one item prohibited by current regulations. Overall, the DF school food environment was characterized by a predominance of unhealthy foods, with disparities by school type and social vulnerability.
Keywords: food environment; school food environment; food retail; healthy eating; ultra-processed foods food environment; school food environment; food retail; healthy eating; ultra-processed foods

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Araújo, G.S.; Gonçalves, V.S.S.; do Carmo, A.S.; Vasconcellos, M.T.L.d.; Toral, N. What Is There to Buy? An Analysis of the Food Environment in Public and Private Schools in the Federal District. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22091331

AMA Style

Araújo GS, Gonçalves VSS, do Carmo AS, Vasconcellos MTLd, Toral N. What Is There to Buy? An Analysis of the Food Environment in Public and Private Schools in the Federal District. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(9):1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22091331

Chicago/Turabian Style

Araújo, Giovanna Soutinho, Vivian S. S. Gonçalves, Ariene Silva do Carmo, Maurício T. L. de Vasconcellos, and Natacha Toral. 2025. "What Is There to Buy? An Analysis of the Food Environment in Public and Private Schools in the Federal District" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 9: 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22091331

APA Style

Araújo, G. S., Gonçalves, V. S. S., do Carmo, A. S., Vasconcellos, M. T. L. d., & Toral, N. (2025). What Is There to Buy? An Analysis of the Food Environment in Public and Private Schools in the Federal District. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(9), 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22091331

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