Marketing Sustainability Analysis of Stores Participating in a Healthier Retail Food Program.

OBJECTIVES: To examine how food retailers completing Shop Healthy NYC, a healthy food retail program, (1) changed availability, placement, and promotion of healthier food immediately after participation and (2) sustained changes 1-year postintervention. METHODS: From 2014 to 2017, stores in 2 high-poverty New York City neighborhoods participated in a low-intensity intervention focused on in-store advertising or a high-intensity intervention to meet 7 criteria related to availability, placement, and promotion of healthy items. Stores were assessed preintervention (Pre), 1-month postintervention (Post 1), and 12-16 months postintervention (Post 2). Analyses were restricted to stores that completed the intervention and were assessed at all time points (n = 64). Changes were compared across time points. RESULTS: Across stores participating in the low-intensity intervention, the ratio of unhealthy-to-healthy ads decreased from Pre to Post 1, and by Post 2 remained improved over baseline. Among stores participating in the high-intensity intervention, the median number of healthy criteria met increased from 3.5 to 6 from Pre to Post 1 and decreased to 5 at Post 2. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in the marketing and availability, placement, and promotion of healthy products are feasible but may require reinforcement and additional support over time.

Healthy Checkout Lines: A Study in Urban Supermarkets.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the impact of healthy checkouts in Bronx, New York City supermarkets. DESIGN: Consumer purchasing behavior was observed for 2 weeks in 2015. SETTING: Three supermarkets in the South Bronx. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2,131 adult shoppers (aged ≥18 years) who paid for their groceries at 1 of the selected study checkout lines. INTERVENTION: Two checkout lines were selected per store; 1 was converted to a healthy checkout and the other remained as it was (standard checkout). Data collectors observed consumer behavior at each line and recorded items purchased from checkout areas. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of customers who purchase items from the checkout area; quantity and price of healthy and unhealthy items purchased from the healthy and standard checkout lines. ANALYSIS: Measures were analyzed by study condition using chi-square and t tests; significance was determined at α = .05. RESULTS: Only 4.0% of customers bought anything from the checkout area. A higher proportion of customers using the healthy vs standard checkout line bought healthy items (56.5% vs 20.5%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: When healthier products were available, the proportion of healthy purchases increased. Findings contribute to limited research on effectiveness of healthy checkouts in supermarkets. Similar interventions should expect an increase in healthy purchases from the checkout area, but limited overall impact.

Food shopping behaviors of residents in two Bronx neighborhoods.

BACKGROUND: Numerous researchers have documented associations between neighborhood food environments and residents' diets. However, few quantitative studies have examined the food shopping behaviors of residents in low-income neighborhoods, including the types of stores patronized and frequency of visits. This study presents findings on the food shopping behaviors of residents in the Bronx neighborhoods of West Farms and Fordham. METHODS: Street-intercept surveys were conducted in spring 2012 with residents of West Farms and Fordham as part of a broader program evaluation. The survey included questions on general food shopping behaviors including visits to neighborhood bodegas (corner stores) and supermarkets, mode of transportation to the supermarket most commonly frequented, and the primary source for purchases of fruits and vegetables. RESULTS: The survey was conducted with 505 respondents. The sample was 59% Hispanic and 34% black, with a median age of 45 years. Thirty-four percent of respondents had less than a high school education, 30% were high school graduates or had their GED, and 36% had attended some college. Almost all respondents (97%) shopped at supermarkets in their neighborhood; 84% usually shopped at a supermarket within their neighborhood, and 16% usually shopped at a supermarket outside of their neighborhood. Most respondents (95%) shopped at bodegas in their neighborhood, and 65% did so once per day or more. CONCLUSIONS: Residents of these neighborhoods have high exposure to local food stores, with the vast majority of respondents shopping at neighborhood supermarkets and bodegas and almost 2 in 3 respondents going to bodegas every day. These findings demonstrate the important role of supermarkets and bodegas in local residents' shopping patterns and support the inclusion of these stores in efforts to create food environments that support and promote healthy eating.