scholarly journals Measuring the Food Environment: A Systematic Technique for Characterizing Food Stores Using Display Counts

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra Miller ◽  
J. Nicholas Bodor ◽  
Donald Rose
Keyword(s):  
New Orleans ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Dietary Behavior ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Snack Foods ◽  
Systematic Technique ◽  
Cash Register

Marketing research has documented the influence of in-store characteristics—such as the number and placement of display stands—on consumer purchases of a product. However, little information exists on this topic for key foods of interest to those studying the influence of environmental changes on dietary behavior. This study demonstrates a method for characterizing the food environment by measuring the number of separate displays of fruits, vegetables, and energy-dense snack foods (including chips, candies, and sodas) and their proximity to cash registers in different store types. Observations in New Orleans stores (N=172) in 2007 and 2008 revealed significantly more displays of energy-dense snacks than of fruits and vegetables within all store types, especially supermarkets. Moreover, supermarkets had an average of 20 displays of energy-dense snacks within 1 meter of their cash registers, yet none of them had even a single display of fruits or vegetables near their cash registers. Measures of the number of separate display stands of key foods and their proximity to a cash register can be used by researchers to better characterize food stores and by policymakers to address improvements to the food environment.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Store Environment Changes of an In-Store Intervention to Promote Fruits and Vegetables in Latino/Hispanic-Focused Food Stores

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Jennifer Sanchez-Flack ◽  
Barbara Baquero ◽  
Shih-Fan Lin ◽  
George Belch ◽  
Julie L. Pickrel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Food Store ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Product Availability ◽  
Environmental Measures ◽  
Potential Strategy ◽  
Store Environment

Implementing interventions that manipulate food store environments are one potential strategy for improving dietary behaviors. The present study evaluated intervention effects, from the El Valor de Nuestra Salud (The Value of Our Health) study, on in-store environmental changes within Latino/Hispanic-focused food stores (tiendas). Sixteen tiendas were randomly assigned to either: a six-month structural and social food store intervention or a wait-list control condition. Store-level environmental measures of product availability, placement, and promotion were assessed monthly from baseline through six-months post-baseline using store audits. Linear mixed effects models tested for condition-by-time interactions in store-level environmental measures. Results demonstrated that the intervention was successful at increasing the total number of fruit and vegetable (FV) promotions (p < 0.001) and the number of FV promotions outside the produce department (p < 0.001) among tiendas in the intervention versus control condition. No changes in product availability or placement were observed. Results suggests changing the marketing mix element of promotions within small stores is measurable and feasible in an in-store intervention. Difficulties in capturing changes in product availability and placement may be due to intervention implementation methods chosen by tiendas. It is important to build upon the lessons learned from these types of interventions to disseminate evidence-based in-store interventions.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review on Socioeconomic Differences in the Association between the Food Environment and Dietary Behaviors

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joreintje D. Mackenbach ◽  
Kyra G. M. Nelissen ◽  
S. Coosje Dijkstra ◽  
Maartje P. Poelman ◽  
Joost G. Daams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Environment ◽  
Dietary Behavior ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Socioeconomic Differences ◽  
School Food ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
School Food Environment ◽  
Objectively Measured

Little is known about socioeconomic differences in the association between the food environment and dietary behavior. We systematically reviewed four databases for original studies conducted in adolescents and adults. Food environments were defined as all objective and perceived aspects of the physical and economic food environment outside the home. The 43 included studies were diverse in the measures used to define the food environment, socioeconomic position (SEP) and dietary behavior, as well as in their results. Based on studies investigating the economic (n = 6) and school food environment (n = 4), somewhat consistent evidence suggests that low SEP individuals are more responsive to changes in food prices and benefit more from healthy options in the school food environment. Evidence for different effects of availability of foods and objectively measured access, proximity and quality of food stores on dietary behavior across SEP groups was inconsistent. In conclusion, there was no clear evidence for socioeconomic differences in the association between food environments and dietary behavior, although a limited number of studies focusing on economic and school food environments generally observed stronger associations in low SEP populations. (Prospero registration: CRD42017073587)

scholarly journals Home food environment and associations with weight and diet among U.S. adults: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Kegler ◽  
April Hermstad ◽  
Regine Haardörfer
Keyword(s):  
Food Environment ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Family Meals ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Home Food Environment ◽  
Meal Preparation ◽  
Home Food

Abstract Background The home provides the physical and social context for the majority of eating behaviors for U.S. adults. This study describes eleven dimensions of the home food environment among a national sample of U.S. adults and identifies which are associated with diet quality and overweight/obesity. Methods A national sample of U.S. adults ages 18 to 75 was recruited from an online survey panel. Respondents (n = 4942) reported on foods available in the home, including 1) fruit and vegetables, 2) salty snacks/sweets, 3) less healthy beverages, as well as 4) food placement, 5) shopping practices for fruits and vegetables, 6) food preparation, 7) portion control methods, 8) family meals from restaurants, 9) family household practices around TV and eating, 10) presence of a TV in the dining area, and 11) ownership of a scale. Self-reported height and weight, fruit and vegetable intake, and percent calories from fat were also assessed. Results Mean household size was 2.6, 32.7% had children in the home, and 23.1% lived alone. The majority were White (67.7%), with 12.3% Black and 14.3% Hispanic. Mean age was 44.4 and 48.3% were men. In multivariable models, seven features of the home food environment were associated with meeting the recommended fruit and vegetable intake guidelines, with food placement, meal preparation, frequency of shopping for fruit, and a greater variety of fruits and vegetables available in the home most strongly associated. Eight of 11 features were associated with percent energy from fat, including restaurant food for family meals, salty snacks and sweets availability, less healthy beverages availability, food placement, meal preparation, frequency of shopping for fruit, family eating with the TV on, and having a TV in the dining area. More diverse fruit and vegetable availability was associated with lower odds of overweight/obesity, and more frequent family eating while watching TV was associated with increased odds of overweight/obesity. Conclusion Targeting these dimensions of the home food environment may be a promising approach for future intervention research.

scholarly journals Fill “half your child's plate with fruits and vegetables”: Correlations with food-related practices and the home food environment

Appetite ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 133 ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrisa Arcan ◽  
Sarah Friend ◽  
Colleen Freeh Flattum ◽  
Mary Story ◽  
Jayne A. Fulkerson
Keyword(s):  
Food Environment ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Home Food Environment ◽  
Home Food

scholarly journals Desenvolvimento e validação de instrumento para avaliar o impacto de um programa de intervenção em comércios de alimentos em área de deserto alimentar/Development and validity of an instrument to evaluate the impact of an intervention in food stores at an urban food desert

2018 ◽  
pp. 396-411
Author(s):  
Lucas Daniel Sanches ◽  
Renata Fagundes Lopes ◽  
Matheus Ribeiro Theodósio Fernandes Melzer ◽  
Maria Aparecida De Oliveira ◽  
Paula Andrea Martins
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
Food Desert ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Cronbach Alpha ◽  
The Impact

ResumoObjetivou-se desenvolver e validar um instrumento adequado para avaliar o impacto de um programa piloto de intervenção no ambiente alimentar local para promoção da alimentação saudável em comércios de varejo de alimentos da Zona Noroeste em Santos/SP, região caracterizada como deserto alimentar. Foi realizada pesquisa formativa para validação do instrumento, incluindo reuniões de pesquisadores, varredura no território estudado para identificação dos comércios de alimentos, visitas a atores do canal de distribuição de alimentos, oficinas comunitárias com a comunidade local e entrevistas em profundidade com proprietários dos estabelecimentos para validação de conteúdo e validade aparente. Foi testada confiabilidade do instrumento por coeficiente de alfa de Cronbach. O desenvolvimento do questionário incluiu questões para avaliação da Identificação e Caracterização do Comércio; Parâmetros de Comercialização, incluindo importância de fatores para a inclusão de um novo alimento, frequência de aquisição de produtos, rentabilidade; e Escala de Fatores Psicossociais, incluindo expectativa em relação às vendas de alimentos saudáveis, expectativa em relação ao impacto, e autoeficácia em relação à comercialização de alimentos saudáveis. A validação permitiu revisão de todas as questões e alternativas de resposta do questionário, com alfa de Cronbach variante de 0,440 a 0,967 nas questões do instrumento final. Este resultado indica que o instrumento proposto foi capaz de identificar características relevantes do sistema de distribuição de alimentos á nível local e pode ser utilizado em estudos epidemiológicos para avaliação de políticas públicas territoriais elaboradas para aumento do acesso a alimentos saudáveis.Palavras-chave: Estudos de Validação; Saúde da População Urbana; Ambiente Alimentar AbstractThe objective was to develop and validate a culturally appropriate instrument to evaluate the impact of a pilot intervention program in the food environment to promote healthy eating in small food stores in an urban food desert. A formative research was carried out for the validation of the instrument, including meetings of researchers, visits to all the streets in the study's region to identify food stores, visits to food distribution system agents', community workshops with the local community and in-depth interviews with food store owners for content and apparent validity. Instrument reliability was tested by Cronbach alpha coefficient. The development of the instrument included questions to evaluate the Identification and Characterization of Store; Marketing Parameters (i.e. influencers for including new food itens and frequency of product acquisition and profitability); and Psychosocial Factors Scale (i.e. expectations regarding healthy food sales, expectations regarding impact of intervention, and self-efficacy in relation to the marketing of healthy foods). Validation process allowed a review of all questions and questions' responses, with Cronbach alpha between 0.440 to 0.967 in the final instrument questions. It can be concluded that the instrument was developed to identify relevant characteristics of the food distribution system and can be used in epidemiological studies and public policies to evaluate increase access to healthy foods.Key words:Validation Studies; Urban Health; Food Environment

scholarly journals The Influence of WIC Changes on the Retail Food Environment in New Orleans

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Rose ◽  
Lauren Futrell Dunaway ◽  
Adriana Dornelles ◽  
Keelia O'Malley ◽  
J. Nicholas Bodor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Orleans ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Retail Food Environment ◽  
Retail Food

scholarly journals Government data v. ground observation for food-environment assessment: businesses missed and misreported by city and state inspection records

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1414-1427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean C Lucan ◽  
Andrew R Maroko ◽  
Courtney Abrams ◽  
Noemi Rodriguez ◽  
Achint N Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
State Inspection ◽  
Street Vendors ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Ground Observation ◽  
Government Data ◽  
Government Records ◽  
Street Segments

AbstractObjective:To assess the accuracy of government inspection records, relative to ground observation, for identifying businesses offering foods/drinks.Design:Agreement between city and state inspection records v. ground observations at two levels: businesses and street segments. Agreement could be ‘strict’ (by business name, e.g. ‘Rizzo’s’) or ‘lenient’ (by business type, e.g. ‘pizzeria’); using sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) for businesses and using sensitivity, PPV, specificity and negative predictive value (NPV) for street segments.Setting:The Bronx and the Upper East Side (UES), New York City, USA.Participants:All food/drink-offering businesses on sampled street segments (n 154 in the Bronx, n 51 in the UES).Results:By ‘strict’ criteria, sensitivity and PPV of government records for food/drink-offering businesses were 0·37 and 0·57 in the Bronx; 0·58 and 0·60 in the UES. ‘Lenient’ values were 0·40 and 0·62 in the Bronx; 0·60 and 0·62 in the UES. Sensitivity, PPV, specificity and NPV of government records for street segments having food/drink-offering businesses were 0·66, 0·73, 0·84 and 0·79 in the Bronx; 0·79, 0·92, 0·67, and 0·40 in the UES. In both areas, agreement varied by business category: restaurants; ‘food stores’; and government-recognized other storefront businesses (‘gov. OSB’, i.e. dollar stores, gas stations, pharmacies). Additional business categories – ‘other OSB’ (barbers, laundromats, newsstands, etc.) and street vendors – were absent from government records; together, they represented 28·4 % of all food/drink-offering businesses in the Bronx, 22·2 % in the UES (‘other OSB’ and street vendors were sources of both healthful and less-healthful foods/drinks in both areas).Conclusions:Government records frequently miss or misrepresent businesses offering foods/drinks, suggesting caveats for food-environment assessments using such records.

scholarly journals Cultural Adaptation and Evaluation of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey to the Mediterranean Spanish Context (NEMS-P-MED)

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3257
Author(s):  
Alba Martínez-García ◽  
Eva María Trescastro-López ◽  
María Eugenia Galiana-Sánchez ◽  
Cristóbal Llorens-Ivorra ◽  
Pamela Pereyra-Zamora
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Internal Consistency Reliability ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Nutrition Environment ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Effective Policy ◽  
Standardized Measurement

Individuals’ perceptions of their food environments are a mediator between exposure to the environment and people’s interaction with it. The Nutrition Environment Measures Surveys (NEMS) are valid and reliable measures to assess food environments. In Spain, there is no adapted instrument to measure the perceived obesogenic environment. This article aims to adapt and evaluate the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for a Spanish context (NEMS-P-MED). The Spanish version has 32 questions to measure the perception about availability, accessibility and marketing of 3 types of environment: home, shops and restaurants. We assess feasibility, construct validity and internal consistency reliability through a sample of 95 individuals. The internal consistency was acceptable for most items (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients range from 0.6 to 0.9), similar to that of the original scale. The NEMS-P-MED has been shown to be valid and, on certain items reliable, and was useful to assess the population’s perceptions of the food environment in the home, restaurants and food stores in a Spanish context. Adapting standardized measurement tools to specific contexts to assess the perceived and observed characteristics of food environments may facilitate the development of effective policy interventions to reduce excess weight.

scholarly journals Characterizing the food environment: pitfalls and future directions

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 1238-1243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Vernez Moudon ◽  
Adam Drewnowski ◽  
Glen E Duncan ◽  
Philip M Hurvitz ◽  
Brian E Saelens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Environment ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Local Health ◽  
King County ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Food Stores

AbstractObjectiveTo assess a county population's exposure to different types of food sources reported to affect both diet quality and obesity rates.DesignFood permit records obtained from the local health department served to establish the full census of food stores and restaurants. Employing prior categorization schemes which classified the relative healthfulness of food sources based on establishment type (i.e. supermarkets v. convenience stores, or full-service v. fast-food restaurants), food establishments were assigned to the healthy, unhealthy or undetermined groups.SettingKing County, WA, USA.SubjectsFull census of food sources.ResultsAccording to all categorization schemes, most food establishments in King County fell into the unhealthy and undetermined groups. Use of the food permit data showed that large stores, which included supermarkets as healthy food establishments, contained a sizeable number of bakery/delis, fish/meat, ethnic and standard quick-service restaurants and coffee shops, all food sources that, when housed in a separate venue or owned by a different business establishment, were classified as either unhealthy or of undetermined value to health.ConclusionsTo fully assess the potential health effects of exposure to the extant food environment, future research would need to establish the health value of foods in many such common establishments as individually owned grocery stores and ethnic food stores and restaurants. Within-venue exposure to foods should also be investigated.

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