An Analysis of Free School Meal Entitlement and Proximity of Fast Food Outlets and Grocery Retailers to Secondary Schools in Northern Ireland

A recent FSA investigation (https://science.food.gov.uk/article/138457-the-availability-of-fast-food-outlets-and-grocery-retailers-in-northern-ireland-and-their-distance-to-secondary-schools?auth_token=Q-DiO3i7LQ3UjQbz6KhX) examined the availability of fast food outlets and grocery retailers in Northern Ireland and their distance to secondary schools. The study also investigated if there were any trends in the availability of fast food outlets and grocery retailers with local deprivation based on Multiple Deprivation Measure (MDM). This study aimed to build upon the previous investigation by examining trends in relation to deprivation of the student cohort using Free School Meal Entitlement (FSME) as a proxy indicator of deprivation rather than the deprivation level of the area the schools are located in, using MDM. These two metrics, MDM and FSME, give differing perspectives on the assessment of availability of fast food outlets and grocery retailers close to secondary schools: MDM providing insight based on the deprivation of the school location; and FSME providing insight based on students’ socio-economic deprivation. This study found no evidence of a correlation between the deprivation of schools measured by the MDM rank of the Super Output Area (SOA) each school is in, and the deprivation of schools measured by the FSME of the students in each school. This analysis showed that there is variation in fast food outlet exposure around secondary schools when deprivation is assessed using student level Free School Meal Entitlement (FSME) rather than area level measures (MDM). In general, schools with more socio economically deprived student cohorts were more likely to have both fast food outlets and grocery retailers within 400m (approximately a five minute walk) compared with schools with less deprived student cohorts. However, among schools that had at least one fast food outlet within 400m, higher densities of fast food outlets (7–21 outlets) were more commonly observed around schools with less deprived student cohorts. Where grocery retailers were present within 400m, similarly high numbers of retailers (2-5 retailers) were found around both the most and least deprived school cohorts. Results are also presented for schools with FSME greater than 37% (based on one of the eligibility criteria for the Extended Schools Programme) to provide insights relevant to wider stakeholders. Interactive maps for Study 1 and Study 2 can be found here: https://fsa-food-viewer.cadaconsulting.co.uk/.