title: Field validation of food outlet databases: the Latino food environment in North Carolina, USA.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obtaining valid, reliable measures of food environments that serve Latino communities is important for understanding barriers to healthy eating in this at-risk population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary aim of the study was to examine agreement between retail food outlet data from two commercial databases, Nielsen TDLinx (TDLinx) for food stores and Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) for food stores and restaurants, relative to field observations of food stores and restaurants in thirty-one census tracts in Durham County, NC, USA. We also examined differences by proportion of Hispanic population (</≥23·4 % Hispanic population) in the census tract and for outlets classified in the field as 'Latino' on the basis of signage and use of Spanish language.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and seventy-four food stores and 337 restaurants in Durham County, NC, USA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that overall sensitivity of food store listings in TDLinx was higher (64 %) than listings in D&B (55 %). Twenty-five food stores were characterized by auditors as Latino food stores, with 20 % identified in TDLinx, 52 % in D&B and 56 % in both sources. Overall sensitivity of restaurants (68 %) was higher than sensitivity of Latino restaurants (38 %) listed in D&B. Sensitivity did not differ substantially by Hispanic composition of neighbourhoods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that while TDLinx and D&B commercial data sources perform well for total food stores, they perform less well in identifying small and independent food outlets, including many Latino food stores and restaurants.
authors.affiliation: 1University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,Carolina Population Center,CB# 8120,University Square,123 West Franklin Street,Chapel Hill,NC 27516-2524,USA.
authors.forename: Pasquale E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Rummo
authors.affiliation: 1University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,Carolina Population Center,CB# 8120,University Square,123 West Franklin Street,Chapel Hill,NC 27516-2524,USA.
authors.forename: Sandra S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.affiliation: 1University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,Carolina Population Center,CB# 8120,University Square,123 West Franklin Street,Chapel Hill,NC 27516-2524,USA.
authors.forename: Penny
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gordon-Larsen
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D004032:Diet / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D009657:North Carolina; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012147:Restaurants
keywords: Latino