Social Science & Medicine
Food deserts linked to higher death rates in UK Biobank
For each standard-deviation increase in area food-desert scores, the death-rate ratio was 1.06 after initial adjustments; the association weakened with fuller adjustment.For each standard-deviation increase in area food-desert scores, the death-rate ratio was 1.06 after initial adjustments; the association weakened with fuller adjustment.
Cohort · 262,847 peoplePopulations
Who was studied262,847 UK Biobank participants aged 50 or older, 2020 to 2024
What changedDeath rates were higher with higher food-desert scores: ratio 1.06 per standard-deviation increase, weakening after fuller adjustment
The catchArea-level food-desert scores do not measure each participant’s food access