title: Customer Perception of a Supermarket Nutrition Centre Staffed by a Registered Dietitian.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' attitudes toward a supermarket nutrition centre staffed full time by a registered dietitian. A questionnaire was administered over three consecutive days in that store and in a control store that was similar to the experimental site in every way, except for the absence of a nutrition centre. Participants were chosen randomly at timed intervals in specific areas of the store. Of 428 customers approached, 232 agreed to participate in the survey. At the experimental site, 75% of the participants were extremely satisfied with the registered dietitian's services and 69% ranked having a registered dietitian on staff in any store as extremely important, compared to 31% at the control site (p < 0.05). In ranking the importance of 13 required and optional services offered by the supermarkets, 15% of participants at the experimental site ranked having a registered dietitian on staff in the top five, compared with 4% at the control site (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that participants at the experimental site view the nutrition centre as a valuable service. There may therefore be an expanded role for registered dietitians in the supermarket setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS.
authors.forename: KATE
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: JANETTE
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taper
authors.forename: DEBORAH
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quintal