scholarly journals Development of a System Dynamics Model to Guide Retail Food Store Policies in Baltimore City

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 3055
Author(s):  
Siyao Zhu ◽  
Cassandra Mitsinikos ◽  
Lisa Poirier ◽  
Takeru Igusa ◽  
Joel Gittelsohn
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Staple Food ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Decision Variables ◽  
City Policy

Policy interventions to improve food access and address the obesity epidemic among disadvantaged populations are becoming more common throughout the United States. In Baltimore MD, corner stores are a frequently used source of food for low-income populations, but these stores often do not provide a range of affordable healthy foods. This research study aimed to assist city policy makers as they considered implementing a Staple Food Ordinance (SFO) that would require small stores to provide a range and depth of stock of healthy foods. A System Dynamics (SD) model was built to simulate the complex Baltimore food environment and produce optimal values for key decision variables in SFO planning. A web-based application was created for users to access this model to optimize future SFOs, and to test out different options. Four versions of potential SFOs were simulated using this application and the advantages and drawbacks of each SFO are discussed based on the simulation results. These simulations show that a well-designed SFO has the potential to reduce staple food costs, increase corner store profits, reduce food waste, and expand the market for heathy staple foods.

scholarly journals Merchant Attitudes Toward a Healthy Food Retailer Incentive Program in a Low-Income San Francisco Neighborhood

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. McDaniel ◽  
Meredith Minkler ◽  
Lisa Juachon ◽  
Ryan Thayer ◽  
Jessica Estrada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Incentive Program ◽  
Meeting Program ◽  
Food Retailer ◽  
Past Experiences

In low-income urban communities across the United States and globally, small stores frequently offer processed foods, sodas, alcohol, and tobacco but little access to healthy products. To help address this problem, the city of San Francisco created a healthy food retailer incentive program. Its success depends, in part, on retailers’ willingness to participate. Through in-person interviews, we explored attitudes toward the program among store owners or managers of 17 nonparticipating stores. Eleven merchants were uninterested in the program due to negative past experiences trying to sell healthier products, perceived lack of customer demand, and fears that meeting program requirements could hurt profits. Six merchants expressed interest, seeing demand for or opportunity in healthy foods, foreseeing few difficulties in meeting program requirements, and regarding the assistance offered as appealing. Other municipalities considering such interventions should consider merchants’ perspectives, and how best to challenge or capitalize on retailers’ previous experiences with selling healthy foods.

scholarly journals Healthy Food Environments in Food Pantries: Lessons Learned from a Sodium Reduction Intervention

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13206
Author(s):  
Emilee L. Quinn ◽  
Kate Ortiz ◽  
Laura Titzer ◽  
Barb Houston-Shimizu ◽  
Jessica Jones-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sodium Content ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Customer Choice ◽  
Food Pantries ◽  
United States Food

In the United States, food pantries increasingly serve as regular food sources for low income households experiencing high rates of chronic disease, including hypertension. Sodium consumption is a modifiable risk factor for hypertension, so pantry customers would benefit from access to low-sodium foods. Pantry customers often experience difficulty acquiring healthy foods, however; little is known about pantry foods’ sodium content specifically. This study assesses the sodium content of pantry foods and lessons learned from an adaptable intervention to support pantries in adopting policies and environmental changes to make healthy, lower-sodium foods appealing and accessible. We conducted sodium assessments of food at 13 food pantries, tracked implementation of intervention strategies, and interviewed 10 pantry directors. More than half of food items in 11 categories met sodium standards for foods to be chosen “often”. Pantry directors reported valuing the intervention approach and implemented six of nine behavioral economics strategies, especially those targeting the visibility and convenience of foods, along with layout changes and expanded customer choice. One pantry adopted an agency-specific nutrition policy and 12 adopted a coalition-level policy. Results can inform intervention efforts to make available healthy options appealing and easy to select while also improving the customer experience in food pantries.

scholarly journals Corner Store Inventories, Purchases, and Strategies for Intervention

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 01-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent A Langellier ◽  
Jeremiah R. Garza ◽  
Michael L. Prelip ◽  
Deborah Glik ◽  
Ron Brookmeyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Marshall Islands ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Food Retail Environment

Introduction: An increasingly popular strategy to improve the food retail environment and promote healthy eating in low-income and minority communities is the corner store conversion. This approach involves partnering with small ‘corner’ food stores to expand access to high-quality fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods. Methods: We conducted a structured review of the literature to assess inventories and sales in corner stores, as well as to identify intervention strategies employed by corner store conversions. Results: Our review returned eight descriptive studies that discussed corner store inventories and sales, as well as ten intervention studies discussing six unique corner store conversion interventions in the United States, the Marshall Islands, and Canada. Common intervention strategies included: 1) partnering with an existing store, 2) stocking healthy foods, and 3) social marketing and nutrition education. We summarize each strategy and review the effectiveness of overall corner store conversions at changing peoples’ food purchasing, preparation, and consumption behaviors. Conclusions: Consumption of fresh, healthy, affordable foods could be improved by supporting existing retailers to expand their selection of healthy foods and promoting healthy eating at the neighborhood level. Additional corner store conversions should be conducted to determine the effectiveness and importance of specific intervention strategies.

Scalable Obesity Solutions (S.O.S.)

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (s3) ◽  
pp. S307-S312 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Direct Response ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Know How ◽  
Care Costs

The know-how is available to reverse the obesity epidemic. Reversing obesity is a societal necessity because it is the predominant contributor to chronic ill health in developed countries and a growing precipitant of illness in middle and low-income countries. In the United States, for example, obesity is the chief driver of health care costs in a country that can no longer afford health care. Although some might advocate population-wide medication use to mitigate the effects of obesity on health, the more direct response is to end obesity. The goal of this paper is explain how mass-scalable obesity containment can be designed, built, and disseminated. Scalable Obesity Solutions (S.O.S.) are discussed from concept through deployment.

scholarly journals Healthy Eating Policy Improves Children’s Diet Quality in Early Care and Education in South Carolina

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Zaltz ◽  
Amelie A. Hecht ◽  
Roni A. Neff ◽  
Russell R. Pate ◽  
Brian Neelon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Early Care And Education ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Early Care

Policies to promote healthy foods in early care and education (ECE) in the United States exist, but few have been prospectively evaluated. In South Carolina, a statewide program serving low-income children in ECE enacted new policies promoting healthy foods. We conducted an evaluation to measure changes in dietary intake among children in ECE exposed and not exposed to the new policy. Using direct observation, we assessed dietary intake in 112 children from 34 ECE centers in South Carolina and 90 children from 30 ECE centers in North Carolina (a state with no policy). We calculated Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI) scores to measure diet quality consumed before and after the policy was enacted. We fit mixed-effects linear models to estimate differences in HEI scores by state from baseline to post-policy, adjusting for child race, number of children enrolled, director education, center years in operation, participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and center profit status. The policy increased HEI scores for whole fruits, total fruits, and lean proteins, but decreased scores for dairy. Thus, the policy was associated with some enhancements in dietary intake, but additional support may help improve other components of diet.

scholarly journals Transportation & Rising Public Health Concerns in America

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Private Transportation

Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States, as it causes a variety of serious health problems including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, kidney disease, and more. In the United States, obesity has been on the rise for decades and has shown no sign of slowing down. The epidemic disproportionately affects low-income and minority individuals. One factor contributing to this health disparity is inadequate public and private transportation among such communities, making access to supermarkets (which carry fresh, healthy produce) less attainable. Solving the obesity epidemic in the United States will require significant government support and will likely take a combination of efforts to improve multiple contributing factors: corporate marketing, city zoning, supermarket pricing, transportation, etc. This review discusses the consequences – and potential solutions - of one aspect of the obesity epidemic: transportation. This focus of this paper is on the United States, but its content has international relevance relating to transportation’s effects on public health as a whole. Keyword : Obesity Epidemic, Transportation, Public Health, Public Policy, Nutrition

Change in Food and Beverage Availability and Marketing Following the Introduction of a Healthy Food Financing Initiative–Supported Supermarket

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea R. Singleton ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Angela Odoms-Young ◽  
Shannon N. Zenk ◽  
Lisa M. Powell
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Intervention Community ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Matched Comparison

Purpose: The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) aims to expand access to healthy foods in low-resourced communities across the United States. This study examined changes in food and beverage availability and marketing in nearby small food stores after the opening of an HFFI-supported supermarket in a predominately low-income and African American community. Design: Natural experiment. Setting: Rockford, Illinois. Participants: A full audit was conducted of the small grocery and limited service stores located in a 1-mile radius around the new supermarket (N = 22) and a 1-square mile area within a nearby demographically matched comparison community (N = 18). Stores were audited in 2015 (1 month preopening) and 2016 (1 year afterward). Measures: Store characteristics, item availability, and interior and exterior promotions/advertisements were examined. Analysis: Difference-in-difference (DID) regression models assessed pre- and postintervention changes in availability and marketing between small food stores in the intervention and comparison communities. Results: The DID regression models indicated no difference between intervention and comparison communities with respect to changes in availability and marketing of all food items with the exception of frozen vegetables which had higher availability postintervention in the comparison community versus intervention (β for interaction term = .67; standard error: 0.33; P = .04). Conclusion: After the opening of the HFFI-supported supermarket, food and beverage availability and marketing in nearby small food stores did not change significantly. However, the wide range of staple foods offered by the supermarket contributed to the expansion of healthy food retail in the intervention community.

scholarly journals A randomized controlled design reveals barriers to citizenship for low-income immigrants

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (5) ◽  
pp. 939-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Hainmueller ◽  
Duncan Lawrence ◽  
Justin Gest ◽  
Michael Hotard ◽  
Rey Koslowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Discernible Effect ◽  
Reliable Knowledge

Citizenship endows legal protections and is associated with economic and social gains for immigrants and their communities. In the United States, however, naturalization rates are relatively low. Yet we lack reliable knowledge as to what constrains immigrants from applying. Drawing on data from a public/private naturalization program in New York, this research provides a randomized controlled study of policy interventions that address these constraints. The study tested two programmatic interventions among low-income immigrants who are eligible for citizenship. The first randomly assigned a voucher that covers the naturalization application fee among immigrants who otherwise would have to pay the full cost of the fee. The second randomly assigned a set of behavioral nudges, similar to outreach efforts used by service providers, among immigrants whose incomes were low enough to qualify them for a federal waiver that eliminates the application fee. Offering the fee voucher increased naturalization application rates by about 41%, suggesting that application fees act as a barrier for low-income immigrants who want to become US citizens. The nudges to encourage the very poor to apply had no discernible effect, indicating the presence of nonfinancial barriers to naturalization.

scholarly journals Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) authorization of discount variety stores: leveraging the private sector to modestly increase availability of healthy foods

2020 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 1278-1285
Author(s):  
Katelin M Hudak ◽  
Rajib Paul ◽  
Shafie Gholizadeh ◽  
Wlodek Zadrozny ◽  
Elizabeth F Racine
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Infants And Children ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Program ◽  
Snack Foods ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program ◽  
Salty Snack

Abstract Background Many lower-income communities in the United States lack a full-line grocery store. There is evidence that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) increases the availability of healthy foods in stores. One national discount variety store chain (DVS) that is often located in low-income neighborhoods became an authorized WIC vendor in 8 pilot stores. Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate how implementing WIC in DVS pilot stores affected sales of healthy, WIC-eligible foods. Methods We used DVS sales data and difference-in-differences regression to evaluate how WIC authorization affected sales of WIC-eligible foods in 8 DVS pilot stores, compared with 8 matched comparison stores. Results DVS added 18 new WIC-approved foods to become an authorized vendor. Results indicate that becoming a WIC vendor significantly increased sales of healthy, WIC-eligible foods that DVS carried before authorization. WIC implementation in DVS led to a 31-unit increase in sales of the original WIC foods per week on average (P < 0.01). Lower socioeconomic status, assessed using a summary measure, is associated with increased sales of WIC foods. Yet sales of non-WIC eligible foods (e.g., salty snack foods, candy bars, soda, and processed meats) were not affected by WIC authorization. Conclusions Encouraging DVS stores to become WIC-authorized vendors has the potential to modestly increase DVS sales and the availability of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods. If WIC authorization is financially viable for small-format variety stores, encouraging similar small-format variety stores to become WIC-authorized has the potential to improve food access.

From Poverty to Obesity: Exploration of the Food Choice Constraint Model and the Impact of an Energy-Dense Food Tax

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth S. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Food Choice ◽  
The United States ◽  
American People ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Related Disease ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
Constraint Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Energy Dense Food

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and is disproportionately concentrated in poor populations. This paper explores the role that poverty may play in driving the present obesity epidemic. Current literature supports a food choice constraint model in which one's ability to purchase healthy foods falls with income in a standard budget constraint shift fashion because healthy foods (nonenergydense foods) are relatively costly. This model is reinforced by a biological preference for energy-dense foods. Theoretically, a tax on energy-dense food would reduce the prevalence of obesity, along with obesity-related disease, and therefore should be carefully considered by the American people.

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