Journal Article

Efficacy of a store-based environmental change intervention compared with a delayed treatment control condition on store customers’ intake of fruits and vegetables

Ayala, Guadalupe X, Ji, Ming, Baquero, Barbara, Laraia, Barbara A, Linnan, Laura

2013

Overview

The present store-based intervention was designed to promote sales of fruits and vegetables (F&V) to increase intake among store customers--specifically customers of tiendas, small-to-medium-sized Latino food stores. Four tiendas were randomized to a 2-month environmental change intervention or a delayed treatment control condition. Employees and managers were trained to promote F&V sales, including how to implement a food marketing campaign and installing store equipment to promote fresh fruits and vegetables. The primary outcome was self-reported daily intake of F&V among a convenience sample of customers (at least forty per store) collected at baseline prior to randomization and then 4 months later. In addition, changes in availability of F&V in the tiendas, using unobtrusive observational methods, provided evidence of intervention fidelity. Tiendas in central North Carolina. Participants included 179 customers who were recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America. A group-by-time interaction approached significance on daily servings of F intervention customers reported an increase in F&V intake over time and as a function of the intervention (P < or = 0.06). Unexpectedly, self-efficacy for consuming more fruits (P < or = 0.01) and more vegetables (P < or = 0.06) decreased. In our store-level analyses, a group-by-time interaction was observed for availability of fresh and canned vegetables; the intervention increased availability of vegetables but not fruit. Environmental change strategies to promote healthy eating are needed given the rates of obesity and diabetes in the Latino population. A store-based intervention was moderately effective at increasing customers’ reported F&V intake. Such strategies can have a public health impact on underserved populations.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Adult / Built environment / canned vegetables / Central America / consumers (people) / Convenience stores / Customers / diabetes / Diabetes mellitus / Diet / Diet - standards / Eating behavior / Emigrants and Immigrants / Energy Intake / Environmental changes / Feeding Behavior / Female / food marketing / Food Preservation / Food products / Food Supply / Fruit / Fruits / Grocery stores / Health Behavior / Health promotion / Health Promotion - methods / healthy eating habits / Hispanic Americans / HOT TOPIC – Fruits and vegetables / human resources / Humans / immigration / Intervention / Latinos / Male / managers / Marketing / Mexico / Minority & ethnic groups / North Carolina / Nutrition research / obesity / Poverty / Public health / raw fruit / sales / Self Efficacy / Self Report / Treatment Outcome / Vegetables / Young Adult