New York City Youth Liking of Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains Snacks and Corner Store Purchasing Behaviors Are Associated with Willingness to Buy Whole Grain Snack Packs (FS02-04-19)

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine whether the liking of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain (WG) snacks, as well as current corner store purchasing behaviors, are associated with how much money New York City (NYC) youth are willing to spend on a WG snack pack. A WG snack pack is defined as a WG snack (e.g., pretzels) sold in combination with a fresh fruit or vegetable, and optionally a condiment (e.g., hummus). MethodsOne-time intercept surveys were conducted with 10–18 year olds (n = 402) visiting one of 34 corner stores participating in the NYC City Harvest Healthy Retail Program. The following independent variables were examined from the survey: 1) liking of a variety of fruits, vegetables, and WG snacks, 2) how many times in the past 7 days youth purchased food/beverages at this store, 3) how much youth spent on food/beverages that day, 4) what foods/beverages youth purchased that day. The dependent variable of interest was how much money youth were willing to spend on a WG snack pack. Linear regressions were used to analyze the associations between the independent variables and dependent variable, adjusted for age and sex of youth, and borough where the store was located. ResultsHigher liking ratings for fruits, vegetables, and WG snacks combined are associated with willingness to pay more money for WG snack packs (P < 0.001). Youth who visit the corner stores more than 7 times a week were willing to spend at least $1.00 more on WG snack packs compared to those who visit corner stores less frequently (P < 0.01). The amount of money youth were willing to spend on WG snack packs is significantly higher in youth who purchased snacks on the surveyed date compared to those who did not (P = 0.007). There were no associations between how much money youth spent on food/beverages on the surveyed date and how much they were willing to spend on WG snack packs. ConclusionsSelling WG snack packs in corner stores is one potential strategy to encourage the consumption of WGs, especially in youth who frequently visit corner stores and purchase snacks. Additional research is needed to explore strategies to market WG snack packs in corner stores. Funding SourcesSub-award from the Duke-UNC USDA Center for Behavioral Economics and Healthy Food Choice Research. (PI: Tashara M. Leak, PhD, RD).