scholarly journals Corner store purchases made by adults, adolescents and children: items, nutritional characteristics and amount spent

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 1706-1712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle R Lent ◽  
Stephanie Vander Veur ◽  
Giridhar Mallya ◽  
Tara A McCoy ◽  
Timothy A Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics ◽  
Corner Stores ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Evaluation Staff ◽  
Adolescents And Adults

AbstractObjectiveCorner stores, also known as bodegas, are prevalent in low-income urban areas and primarily stock high-energy foods and beverages. Little is known about individual-level purchases in these locations. The purpose of the present study was to assess corner store purchases (items, nutritional characteristics and amount spent) made by children, adolescents and adults in a low-income urban environment.DesignEvaluation staff used 9238 intercept surveys to directly examine food and beverage purchases.SettingIntercepts were collected at 192 corner stores in Philadelphia, PA, USA.SubjectsParticipants were adult, adolescent and child corner store shoppers.ResultsAmong the 9238 intercept surveys, there were 20 244 items. On average, at each corner store visit, consumers purchased 2·2 (sd 2·1) items (1·3 (sd 2·0) foods and 0·9 (sd 0·9) beverages) that cost $US 2·74 (sd $US 3·52) and contained 2786·5 (sd 4454·2) kJ (666·0 (sd 1064·6) kcal). Whether the data were examined as a percentage of total items purchased or as a percentage of intercepts, the most common corner store purchases were beverages, chips, prepared food items, pastries and candy. Beverage purchases occurred during 65·9 % of intercepts and accounted for 39·2 % of all items. Regular soda was the most popular beverage purchase. Corner store purchases averaged 66·2 g of sugar, 921·1 mg of sodium and 2·5 g of fibre per intercept. Compared with children and adolescents, adults spent the most money and purchased the most energy.ConclusionsUrban corner store shoppers spent almost $US 3·00 for over 2700 kJ (650 kcal) per store visit. Obesity prevention efforts may benefit from including interventions aimed at changing corner store food environments in low-income, urban areas.

scholarly journals Local Farmer Perspectives on Improving Produce Distribution Networks in Low-Income Urban Settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 149-149
Author(s):  
Kelley Koeppen ◽  
Dahiany Zayas-Toro ◽  
Nina Martin ◽  
Lisa Poirier ◽  
Emma Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Fresh Produce ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
Urban Settings ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Corner Stores ◽  
The City ◽  
Local Farmers

Abstract Objectives The Baltimore food system includes small hyper-local urban farms within city limits, larger local farms surrounding the city, and ubiquitous corner stores particularly in low-income neighborhoods of the city. In this system, farmers mainly reach consumers through farmer's markets that are only open for a limited number of hours per week, seasonally, and may not be adequate for meeting the needs of low-income households with low access to fresh produce. To address this gap, our team is working to develop a mobile application (app), called the Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) app, that will provide a platform for farmers to sell their produce directly to corner stores for resale. Our present aims were to: (1) understand farmer's current interactions with corner stores; (2) explore perceived challenges that the BUD app may pose to farmers; and (3) pinpoint how the BUD app can sustainably expand farmers’ market base to include corner stores. Methods After designing a BUD app prototype based on formative research, 1-hour in-depth interviews were conducted with hyper-local and local farmers. Farmers were asked about their current distribution practices within Baltimore and perceived challenges in adopting the app. Farmers were then shown the prototype and asked to provide input on user-friendliness, and interest level in future use of the app. Results Local farmers currently have little to no interaction with corner stores. Interviews revealed that local farmers did not want the responsibility of delivering produce to corner stores due to long travel times. Choosing a central location for pickup by corner store owners, such as a farmer's market, could address this. Farmers liked app features such as product info pages and alerts for deals to support market expansion to corner stores. Social networking opportunities within the app can help foster sustainable relationships among local farmers and corner store owners. Conclusions A stronger distribution network is needed to facilitate increased access to fresh produce in low-income urban settings and strengthen connections between local farmers, corner stores, and consumers. Mobile technology offers a promising approach to improve food distribution between local farmers and corner stores and should be further explored. Funding Sources NHLBI, NIH, award number R34HL145368.

scholarly journals Measuring the Differentiated Impact of New Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Projects on Households’ Movements by Income Level within Urban Areas

Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Sohyun Park ◽  
Aram Yang ◽  
Hui Jeong Ha ◽  
Jinhyung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Residential Mobility ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Tax Credit ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Mixed Income ◽  
Low Income Housing

Social mixing is one of the key objectives of the housing policy in OECD countries. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, the largest affordable housing construction program in the US since 1986, has recently set creating mixed-income communities as one of the standards. As a project-based program, LIHTC developments are likely to influence residential mobility; however, little is known about its empirical effects. This study investigated whether new LIHTC projects are effective at attracting heterogeneous income groups to LIHTC neighborhoods, thereby contributing to creating mixed-income communities. Using unique individual-level household movement data combined with origin–destination neighborhood characteristics, we developed zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) models to analyze the LIHTC’s impact on residential mobility patterns in Franklin County, Ohio, US, from 2011 to 2015. The results suggest that the LIHTC attracts low-income households while deterring higher-income families, and therefore the program is not proved to be effective at creating mixed-income neighborhoods.

scholarly journals Reevaluating Agricultural Productivity Gaps with Longitudinal Microdata

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Hamory ◽  
Marieke Kleemans ◽  
Nicholas Y Li ◽  
Edward Miguel
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas

Abstract Recent research has pointed to large gaps in labor productivity between the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors in low-income countries, as well as between workers in rural and urban areas. Most estimates are based on national accounts or repeated cross-sections of microsurvey data, and as a result typically struggle to account for individual selection between sectors. This paper uses long-run individual-level panel data from two low-income countries (Indonesia and Kenya) to explore these gaps. Accounting for individual fixed effects leads to much smaller estimated productivity gains from moving into the non-agricultural sector (or urban areas), reducing estimated gaps by roughly 67%–92%. Furthermore, gaps do not emerge up to 5 years after a move between sectors. We evaluate whether these findings imply a re-assessment of the conventional wisdom regarding sectoral gaps, discuss how to reconcile them with existing cross-sectional estimates, and consider implications for the desirability of sectoral reallocation of labor.

scholarly journals Improving Food System Connectivity: Using Mobile Technology to Leverage Community Partnerships and Strengthen Local Food Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 569-569
Author(s):  
Dahiany Zayas Toro ◽  
Kelley Koeppen ◽  
Emma Lewis ◽  
Lisa Poirier ◽  
Nina Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Food System ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Fresh Produce ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Corner Stores

Abstract Objectives In low-income areas of Baltimore, corner stores are common food sources yet often lack fresh produce. Corner stores are uniquely positioned in the urban food system and offer an opportunity to intervene on the supply chain. However, there is a critical gap in our understanding of the local food distribution network and the best strategies for provisioning corner stores with produce. We sought to inform the development of the Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) mobile application (app), which moves fresh produce from local suppliers to corner stores. We sought to: (1) identify existing networks of local food distribution; (2) explore barriers to increasing fresh produce access within the local food system; and (3) evaluate the potential for sustainability of the BUD app. Methods Secondary data analysis of in-depth interviews (n = 17) conducted in 2016 among local food environment experts, corner store owners, distributors, and wholesalers was completed with the purpose of understanding existing networks of local food distribution, and barriers to increasing food access among stakeholders in the Baltimore food environment. Primary data collection was conducted in 2020–2021 with local stakeholders (n = 10) to confirm and expand upon these findings. Results Existing community distributor partnerships with corner stores and producers contribute to local food networks. Community food distributors with an established connection to wholesalers and urban farmers offer more direct access to fresh produce, but delivery is costly for corner stores. The BUD app could facilitate the arrangement of collective delivery services between distributors, urban farmers and corner stores. Potential barriers include a lack of demand for produce from consumers and a need for community engagement to be incorporated into the app. Conclusions Our findings suggest that enhancing community partnerships is a viable method for distributing fresh foods to local corner stores in Baltimore. Further research is needed to identify ways to increase consumer demand for these foods at the corner store level, and to strengthen the local food distribution system in Baltimore. Funding Sources NHLBI, NIH, award number R34HL145368.

Corner Store Owners as Health Promotion Agents in Low-Income Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 905-915
Author(s):  
Rachael D. Dombrowski ◽  
Michele A. Kelley
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Cook County ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Corner Stores

Reports of small business owner motivations for participation in health promotion interventions are rarely reported in the literature, particularly in relation to healthy eating interventions. This study explicates and defines the development of healthy corner stores as community-based enterprises (CBEs) within eight low-income, suburban communities. CBEs are defined as community-oriented small businesses with a common goal to improve population health. The corner stores assessed in this study were participants in Healthy HotSpot (HH), a corner store initiative of the Cook County Department of Public Health. To determine store alignment with the CBE construct, a case study design was used for qualitative inquiry. Participant narratives from store owners ( n = 21), community-based organizations (CBOs; n = 8) and consumer focus groups ( n = 51) were analyzed using an iterative process to determine how store owners aligned with the CBE construct, and how this influenced continuation of health promotion activities. Several key factors influenced the strength of store owners’ alignment with the CBE construct. They included the following: (a) shared ethno-cultural identities and residential area as consumers; (b) positive, trustworthy relationships with consumers; (c) store owners valuing and prioritizing community health, often over profits; and (d) collaboration with a highly engaged CBO in the HH project. Results can assist in theory development and intervention design in working with corner store owners, and other small business owners, as health promotion agents to improve and sustain health outcomes and help ensure the economic vitality of low-income communities.

Characteristics of tobacco purchases in urban corner stores

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 592-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah G Lawman ◽  
Jennifer Dolatshahi ◽  
Giridhar Mallya ◽  
Stephanie Vander Veur ◽  
Ryan Coffman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Lower Cost ◽  
Tobacco Product ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Average Amount ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Tobacco Sales ◽  
Corner Stores

IntroductionTo examine the prevalence and patterns of tobacco purchases at low-income, urban corner stores.MethodsData on tobacco products and other purchases were collected through direct observation of customers’ purchases (n=6369) at 120 urban corner stores in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from April to September 2012.ResultsOverall 13% of corner store purchases included tobacco products. The majority (61%) of tobacco purchases did not include any other products, and 5.1% of all purchases from corner stores included a food or beverage and tobacco product. Approximately 24% of tobacco purchases were for lower-cost tobacco products such as cigars and cigarillos, and nearly 5% of tobacco purchases were an illegal purchase of a single, unpackaged tobacco product that is not intended for individual sale (ie, loosies). There was no difference in the average amount spent on food or beverages when purchased with (US$2.55, 95% CI: 2.21 to 2.88) or without (US$2.55, 95% CI: 2.48 to 2.63) tobacco products.ConclusionsIn low-income, urban corner store settings, 87% of purchases did not include tobacco; most tobacco purchases did not include the sale of non-tobacco items and spending on non-tobacco items was similar whether or not tobacco was purchased. These findings can help inform retail-level tobacco sales decisions, such as voluntary discontinuation of tobacco products or future public health policies that target tobacco sales. The results challenge prevailing assumptions that tobacco sales are associated with sales of other products in corner stores, such as food and beverages.

scholarly journals Access to food source and food source use are associated with healthy and unhealthy food-purchasing behaviours among low-income African-American adults in Baltimore City

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1632-1639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather D'Angelo ◽  
Sonali Suratkar ◽  
Hee-Jung Song ◽  
Elizabeth Stauffer ◽  
Joel Gittelsohn
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Baltimore City ◽  
Food Purchasing ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Corner Stores ◽  
Source Use ◽  
Purchasing Patterns

AbstractObjectiveAlthough previous research has shown limited availability of healthy food in low-income urban neighbourhoods, the association between food source use and food-purchasing patterns has not yet been examined. We explored food-purchasing patterns in the context of food source use and food source access factors in low-income areas of Baltimore City.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingPredominantly low-income neighbourhoods in East and West Baltimore City.SubjectsA total of 175 low-income African-American adult residents.ResultsSupermarkets and corner stores were the most frequently used food sources. Walking was the main form of transportation used by 57 % of all respondents, 97 % of corner-store shoppers and 49 % of supermarket shoppers. Multiple linear regression models adjusting for demographic factors, type of food source used and transportation type found that corner-store use was associated with obtaining more unhealthy food (P = 0·005), whereas driving to the food source was associated with obtaining more healthy food (P = 0·012).ConclusionsThe large number of corner stores compared with supermarkets in low-income neighbourhoods makes them an easily accessible and frequently used food source for many people. Interventions to increase the availability and promotion of healthy food in highly accessed corner stores in low-income neighbourhoods are needed. Increased access to transportation may also lead to the use of food sources beyond the corner store, and to increased healthy food purchasing.

scholarly journals A corner store intervention in a low-income urban community is associated with increased availability and sales of some healthy foods

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2060-2067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee-Jung Song ◽  
Joel Gittelsohn ◽  
Miyong Kim ◽  
Sonali Suratkar ◽  
Sangita Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Community ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Baltimore City ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Corner Stores ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Potential Strategy

AbstractObjectiveWhile corner store-based nutrition interventions have emerged as a potential strategy to increase healthy food availability in low-income communities, few evaluation studies exist. We present the results of a trial in Baltimore City to increase the availability and sales of healthier food options in local stores.DesignQuasi-experimental study.SettingCorner stores owned by Korean-Americans and supermarkets located in East and West Baltimore.SubjectsSeven corner stores and two supermarkets in East Baltimore received a 10-month intervention and six corner stores and two supermarkets in West Baltimore served as comparison.ResultsDuring and post-intervention, stocking of healthy foods and weekly reported sales of some promoted foods increased significantly in intervention stores compared with comparison stores. Also, intervention storeowners showed significantly higher self-efficacy for stocking some healthy foods in comparison to West Baltimore storeowners.ConclusionsFindings of the study demonstrated that increases in the stocking and promotion of healthy foods can result in increased sales. Working in small corner stores may be a feasible means of improving the availability of healthy foods and their sales in a low-income urban community.

TURNING FARMERS INTO SOCIAL FARMER ENTREPRENEURS FOR DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remus Runcan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Development Programme ◽  
Rural And Urban

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”

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