Food Shopping & Cancer Risk: Obesity Link
- As obesity reaches epidemic levels in the United States, with over 40% of adults affected, researchers are exploring why simply increasing access to healthy food options isn't enough.
- A team including Ran Xu and Gaofei Zhang from the Department of Allied Health Sciences, along with Peter Chen, Weixuan Lyu, and Congcong Miao from the Department of...
- "Obesity is closely related to cancer," Xu said, "and every year, 5% of the new cancer cases for men, 10% of cancer cases for women can be attributed...
Obesity’s link to cancer risk goes deeper than previously thought. A groundbreaking study reveals that shopping habits, not store location, are key to understanding the obesity-cancer connection. Researchers used GPS data to track consumer behavior across nearly 359,000 retailers. Their findings, published in BMC Medicine, show a strong correlation between where people shop for food and obesity-related cancer rates.Socioeconomic factors also play a part, with shopping choices influenced by income levels and cultural backgrounds.News Directory 3 is keeping a close eye on this critical research. The research suggests that current strategies need rethinking to align cancer health support with real-world consumer behavior. Discover what’s next as experts unravel the complexities of food shopping and its ties to cancer.
Shopping Habits, Not Store Location, Key to Obesity-Related Cancer Risk
Updated June 23, 2025
As obesity reaches epidemic levels in the United States, with over 40% of adults affected, researchers are exploring why simply increasing access to healthy food options isn’t enough. A new study published in BMC Medicine suggests that where people actually shop for food is a more critical factor than the mere presence of healthy grocery stores in their vicinity when assessing obesity and related cancer risks.
A team including Ran Xu and Gaofei Zhang from the Department of Allied Health Sciences, along with Peter Chen, Weixuan Lyu, and Congcong Miao from the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies, and Qinyun Lin from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, developed a tool using GPS data to track consumer behavior. They analyzed shopping patterns across nearly 359,000 retailers nationwide, linking this data with cancer mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC).
Xu noted the strong link between obesity and cancer. “Obesity is closely related to cancer,” Xu said, “and every year, 5% of the new cancer cases for men, 10% of cancer cases for women can be attributed to excessive obesity or body weight.”
The study,using GPS data from 2018-2019,differentiated between healthy food sources (grocery stores,warehouse clubs,farmers’ markets) and unhealthy ones (convenience stores,fast food). Researchers then compared this against obesity-related cancer mortality data from 2015-2020.
The team created an activity-based index reflecting the percentage of visits to healthy food retailers by county residents, contrasting it with a location-based index measuring the percentage of healthy food establishments within each county. The activity-based index proved twice as effective in predicting cancer risk.
Chen highlighted the influence of sociodemographic factors. “The association also differs by many sociodemographic characteristics,” Chen said, noting a stronger link in Hispanic communities, potentially due to the “Hispanic Paradox.” He added that higher socioeconomic status also played a role, as those with more financial means are more likely to purchase healthy options when they visit grocery stores.
Xu emphasized the need to rethink current strategies. “Based on our data, as most of the food retailer visits are outside their own neighborhood, we have to wonder, is this really the right approach? We need to focus on the actual behavior and activity, and that might give us better policy outcomes.”
WhatS next
Future research will focus on understanding consumer purchasing decisions,including evaluating the impact of opening new grocery stores in food deserts and using surveys to explore the reasons behind shopping choices.