Gender representation in food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores around schools in Peru and Guatemala

Objective The objective of this study is to assess gender representation in food and beverage print advertisements. Results The study follows a quantitative descriptive approach. Using a content analysis technique, we assessed the gender representation in 200 food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores located in four areas around schools in Lima, Peru, and Guatemala City, Guatemala (100 advertisements per country). A total of 36% of the print advertisements exhibited a male main character for the case of Guatemala, while in Peru 14% of the print advertisements presented a male main character. Furthermore, in Guatemala, 22% of the main characters were male animated characters. Moreover, 27% of the print advertisements in Guatemala and 17%, in Peru were visually male-oriented. Overall, male characters appeared alongside sports references and in varied settings, whereas female characters were usually holding or consuming the product. In conclusion, although the majority of variables used to assess the representation of gender in food and beverage print advertisements were gender-neutral, those showing gender representation were mostly male-oriented. Despite its limited findings, the study provides evidence for the formulation of public policies and educational content aimed to protect children’s and adolescents’ health from the effects of food marketing.

Feasibility of using mobile point-of-sale technology in Baltimore City corner stores tracking sales: A brief report

Small food retail stores in many underserved urban settings keep no electronic records, making documentation of program impact on sales difficult to obtain. We examined the feasibility of introducing a point-of-sale tablet (POST) application to track sales of foods and beverages in Baltimore City corner stores. A sample of four geographically and ethnically diverse corner store owners were trained to use POST to track sales of 14 items for eleven days. Feasibility was documented via a structured survey and open-ended interviews. POST had high economic and cultural acceptability, operability, and perceived sustainability, regardless of language differences or familiarity with mobile technology. All store owners reported willingness to use POST again. It is feasible to train corner store owners to use a point-of-sale application for sales monitoring. An upcoming trial will help to ensure that POST provides sufficient value added for corner store owners.

Perceived barriers and facilitators to participating in the North Carolina Healthy Food Small Retailer Program: A mixed-methods examination considering investment effectiveness

Objective: The North Carolina (NC) Legislature appropriated funds in 2016-2019 for the Healthy Food Small Retailer Program (HFSRP), providing small retailers located in food deserts with equipment to stock nutrient-dense foods and beverages. The study aimed to: (1) examine factors facilitating and constraining implementation of, and participation in, the HFSRP from the perspective of storeowners; and (2) measure and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of investment in the HFSRP. Design: This analysis uses both qualitative and quantitative assessments of storeowner perceptions and store outcomes, as well as two innovative measures of policy investment effectiveness. Qualitative semi-structured interviews and descriptive quantitative approaches including monthly financial reports and activity forms, and end-of-program evaluations were collected from participating HFSRP storeowners. Setting: Eight corner stores in North Carolina that participated in the two cohorts (2016-2018; 2017-2019) of the HFSRP. Participants: Owners of corner stores participating in the HFSRP. Results: All storeowners reported that the HFSRP benefitted their stores. In addition, the HFSRP had a positive impact on sales across each category of healthy food products. Storeowners reported that benefits would be enhanced with adjustments to program administration and support. Specific suggestions included: additional information regarding which healthy foods and beverages to stock; inventory management; handling of perishable produce; product display; modified reporting requirements; and a more efficient process of delivering and maintaining equipment. Conclusions: All storeowners reported several benefits of the HFSRP and would recommend that other storeowners participate. The barriers and challenges they reported inform potential approaches to ensuring success and sustainability of the HFSRP and similar initiatives underway in other jurisdictions.

Gender representation in food and beverage print ads found in corner stores around schools in Peru and Guatemala

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to assess gender representation in food and beverage print advertisements.ResultsThe study follows a quantitative descriptive approach. Using a content analysis technique, we assessed the gender representation in 200 food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores located in four areas around schools in Lima, Peru, and Guatemala City, Guatemala (100 advertisements per country). A total of 36% of the ads exhibited a male main character for the case of Guatemala, while in Peru 14% of the ads presented a male main character. Furthermore, in Guatemala, 22% of the main characters were male animated characters. Moreover, 27% of the ads in Guatemala and 17%, in Peru were visually male-oriented. Overall, male characters appeared alongside sports references and in varied settings, whereas female characters were usually holding or consuming the product. In conclusion, although the majority of variables used to assess the representation of gender in food and beverage print advertisements were gender-neutral, those showing gender representation were mostly male-oriented. Despite its limited findings, the study provides evidence for the formulation of public policies and educational content aimed to protect children’s and adolescents’ health from the effects of food marketing.

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

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.

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

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.

Multi-Level, Multi-Perspective Formative Research to Develop a Mobile Application to Improve Healthy Food Access in Low-Income Urban Settings

Objectives Small urban corner stores typically have low access to healthy foods to stock due to an inadequate food distribution system. Strategies to increase access to healthier foods are needed in low-income urban settings where consumers depend on these stores to meet their main food shopping needs. We conducted multi-level, multi-perspective formative research and user-centered design to inform the development of the Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) mobile application (app), which aims to provide a sustainable, cost-effective, and culturally-acceptable strategy for purchasing and delivering fresh produce to corner stores through local suppliers within the Baltimore City food system. Methods In-depth interviews (N = 36) were conducted across multiple stages of formative research with increasing refinement of the BUD app design. Stakeholders included producers (n = 5), wholesalers (n = 12), representatives of city agencies (n = 4), and corner store owners (n = 15). Future research will include community members. Data were collected regarding participants’ role within the local food system and feedback was elicited during a researcher-led demonstration of a prototype app. Results Stakeholders at multiple levels of the food system found the BUD app to have high feasibility (acceptability, operability, perceived sustainability). In-depth interviews revealed that suppliers (producers, wholesalers) were willing to use the app but had concerns about transportation and storage of produce. Corner store owners desired features such as in-app collaborative purchasing and low-cost delivery. City agency representatives emphasized the need to focus on promotion of local suppliers. Limitations included language barriers and payment security. Strengths included options for networking within the app. Conclusions The BUD app aims to provide a digital solution to address a critical gap in the food distribution system in a low-income urban setting. Multi-level, multi-perspective formative research that is user-centered is a crucial first step to developing a feasible app that appropriately addresses the needs of the community. Future research demonstrating the BUD prototype to stakeholders will enable further development of the app for use in Baltimore and other cities nationwide. Funding Sources NHLBI, NIH, award number R34HL145368.

When Crime Moves Where Does It Go? Analyzing the Spatial Correlates of Robbery Incidents Displaced by a Place-based Policing Intervention

Objective: Examine the place-based correlates of robbery activity displaced by a foot-patrol intervention in Newark, NJ. We use constructs from Crime Pattern and Social Disorganization theories to test hypotheses concerned with associations between the structure of the environment and the displacement of crime. Method: Robbery incidents were spatially joined to street segments to study micro-level displacement processes. Predictor variables were operationalized using data from the Newark Police Department and Infogroup USA. Generalized Linear models tested associations between the characteristics of street segments and displaced robbery in the target area as compared to a control. Results: Environmental structure is important to understanding the settings of displacement, though this varied between spatial and temporal displacement. Relationships between displaced crime activity and model covariates did not always appear in expected directions. For example, bus stops predicted increased spatial displacement while corner stores predicted decreased levels of temporal displacement. Conclusions: While testing for displacement has become commonplace in place-based policing interventions, less attention has been paid to the micro-level factors that may facilitate the displacement of crime events. Both bus stops and corner stores show consistent associations with displaced crime activity, but the directions of these relationships suggest more complex processes requiring further examination.

The Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) App: Study Protocol for A Food Systems Intervention

Background: Low-income urban communities in the United States commonly lack ready access to healthy foods. This is due in part to a food distribution system that favors the provision of high-fat, high-sugar, high-sodium processed foods to small retail food stores, and impedes their healthier alternatives, such as fresh produce. Methods: The Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) study is a multi-level, multi-component systems intervention that aims to improve healthy food access in low income neighborhoods of Baltimore, Maryland. The primary intervention is the BUD application (app), which uses the power of collective purchasing and delivery to affordably move foods from local producers and wholesalers to the city’s many corner stores. We will implement the app in a sample of 38 corner stores, randomized to intervention and comparison. Extensive evaluation will be conducted at each level of the intervention to assess effectiveness via process and impact measures on suppliers, corner stores, and consumers. Discussion: BUD represents one of the first attempts to implement an intervention that engages multiple levels of a local food system. The design of the intervention and the evaluation plan of the BUD project are documented here.Trial registration #: #### (register since not yet recruiting)

Data on gender representation in food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores from Guatemala and Peru

Objectives Data on gender representation in food and beverage advertisements may allow for a better understanding of how the food industry is targeting different audiences based on gender. Nonetheless, scant research on food and beverage print advertising with a gender approach has been conducted. Therefore, we sought to assess the prevalence of gender focus in print advertisements found inside corner stores in two cities: Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Lima, Peru. Data description We developed two complementary datasets as part of the study: (1) a dataset of digital photographs of 200 food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores located near schools (100 ads per country selected according to criteria such as product type, image quality, and uniqueness); (2) a quantitative dataset with data of the content analysis of these photographs. We employed 19 variables to record the general information and gender assessment of the ads. These datasets should allow scholars and public officials to identify gender-specific marketing strategies of the food industry that might impact children’s and adolescents’ nutrition differently.