title: A natural experiment opportunity in two low-income urban food desert communities: research design, community engagement methods, and baseline results.
abstract: A growing body of evidence has highlighted an association between a lack of access to nutritious, affordable food (e.g., through full-service grocery stores [FSGs]), poor diet, and increased risk for obesity. In response, there has been growing interest among policy makers in encouraging the siting of supermarkets in "food deserts," that is, low-income geographic areas with low access to healthy food options. However, there is limited research to evaluate the impact of such efforts, and most studies to date have been cross-sectional. The Pittsburgh Hill/Homewood Research on Eating, Shopping, and Health (PHRESH) is a longitudinal quasi-experimental study of a dramatic change (i.e., a new FSG) in the food landscape of a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood. The study is following a stratified random sample of households (n = 1,372), and all food venues (n = 60) in both intervention and control neighborhoods, and the most frequently reported food shopping venues outside both neighborhoods. This article describes the study design and community-based methodology, which focused simultaneously on the conduct of scientifically rigorous research and the development and maintenance of trust and buy-in from the involved neighborhoods. Early results have begun to define markers for success in creating a natural experiment, including strong community engagement. Baseline data show that the vast majority of residents already shop at a FSG and do not shop at the nearest one. Follow-up data collection will help determine whether and how a new FSG may change behaviors and may point to the need for additional interventions beyond new FSGs alone.
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA dubowitz@rand.org.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dubowitz
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Collette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ncube
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leuschner
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Homewood Children's Village, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Shannah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tharp-Gilliam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D019058:Community Networks; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011203:Poverty; D012107:Research Design; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: community engagement; food desert; full-service grocery stores; natural experiment
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