Mexican Households’ Food Store Shopping Patterns and Healthfulness of Purchases (P18-117-19)

Abstract

ObjectivesTo determine the patterns of food shopping in Mexico by store-type, and whether these are associated with the healthfulness of food purchases. MethodsUsing data from the Nielsen Mexico Consumer Panel Survey 2012–2015 (households (HH) = 5500), in each year we performed a k-means cluster analysis using households percentage of food and beverage purchases from each store type (i.e., convenience stores, traditional shops, supermarkets, wholesalers, and others). Separate clusters were derived for foods and beverages. We present the unadjusted mean volume (per capita/day) of less healthy and healthier products purchased in each cluster. ResultsThree distinctive patterns emerged for both foods and beverages, and these were consistent over time: a cluster in which most beverages were made at traditional stores (e.g., small tiendas [“Traditional” pattern]), supermarkets (“Supermarket” pattern), or both traditional stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores (beverages only) or wholesalers (foods only) (“Mixed” pattern).For beverages, the Traditional pattern was most prevalent (60% of HH); and households in this pattern purchased twice as many less healthy beverages as healthy beverages (710 ml vs 371 ml) overall. In the Supermarket beverage pattern (26% of HH), the relative volume of healthier and less healthy beverages was similar. In the Mixed beverage pattern (14% of HH), purchases of healthier beverages were higher than purchases of less healthy beverages (550 ml vs 364 ml) overall.For foods, households in the Supermarket pattern (38% of HH) and in the Mixed pattern (35% of HH), purchased a similar relative volume of healthier and less healthy foods. Households in the Traditional pattern (28% of HH) however, purchased more healthier foods than less healthy foods (75 g vs 54 g) overall. ConclusionsMexican households mainly rely in three combinations of stores to obtain their foods and beverages, which are associated with the healthfulness of their purchases of packaged products. Understanding the shopping behavior in Mexico can provide evidence to develop interventions that improve the healthfulness of the Mexican food environment and inform current policies. Funding SourcesBloomberg Philanthropies and the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology Scholarship (CONACyT).