The rationale behind small food store interventions in low-income urban neighborhoods: insights from New Orleans.
Environmental approaches to the obesity problem in the US have garnered favor due to growing evidence that changes to the environment are at the root of the epidemic. Low-income urban neighborhoods, where obesity rates are disproportionately high, typically lack supermarkets yet have a high density of small food stores. This may increase the risk for unhealthy diets and obesity for neighborhood residents, because small stores carry mostly energy-dense foods and few fruits and vegetables. This paper pulls together various studies and pilot work conducted in New Orleans to explore the rationale behind small store interventions. Many low-income residents in New Orleans live within walking distance of small food stores and shop at them frequently. Marketing research has documented that changes to in-store shelf space and displays of specific foods affect the sales of these foods. Initiatives in New Orleans and elsewhere have demonstrated some success with improving healthy food availability in small stores, and an intercept survey of customers at small stores suggests that customers would purchase more fruits and vegetables if available. Efforts to encourage small store operators to offer a healthier mix of foods may, in the end, depend on the profitability of such changes. Evidence from a typical small store in New Orleans indicates that a greater percentage of gross profits come from snack foods and beverages than from fruits and vegetables. More research is needed to better understand the financial operations of small food stores and whether altering the mix of foods is economically feasible.
Bodor
J Nicholas
JN
Department of Community Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. nbodor@tulane.edu
Ulmer
Vanessa M
VM
Dunaway
Lauren Futrell
LF
Farley
Thomas A
TA
Rose
Donald
D
D003132:Commerce; D005502:Food / Q000191:economics*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D055820:New Orleans; D011203:Poverty; D014505:Urban Population
Public Health Nutr. 2006 Oct;9(7):837-45
17010248
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2008 May-Jun;14(3):272-9
18408552
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Mar;15(3):673-85
17372318
JAMA. 2006 Apr 5;295(13):1549-55
16595758
J Nutr Educ Behav. 2007 Mar-Apr;39(2):77-83
17346655
Prev Med. 2004 Nov;39(5):869-75
15475018
Prev Med. 2004 Sep;39 Suppl 2:S75-80
15313075
Am J Public Health. 2004 Jun;94(6):1014-8
15249308
J Urban Health. 2009 Sep;86(5):672-82
19603271
Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Apr 15;167(8):917-24
18304960
Am J Public Health. 2002 Nov;92(11):1761-7
12406805
J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 May;105(5 Suppl 1):S98-103
15867904
Public Health Nutr. 2009 Nov;12(11):2060-7
19402943
Health Promot Pract. 2010 Sep;11(5):723-32
19144859
Annu Rev Public Health. 2008;29:253-72
18031223
Am J Public Health. 1999 Aug;89(8):1194-9
10432905
Am J Prev Med. 2006 Apr;30(4):333-9
16530621
JAMA. 2004 Aug 25;292(8):927-34
15328324
Am J Prev Med. 2009 Jan;36(1):74-81
18977112
Obes Res. 2002 May;10(5):370-8
12006636
Am J Prev Med. 2007 Oct;33(4 Suppl):S301-7
17884578
Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Mar;89(3):897-904
19144728