Point-of-purchase health information encourages customers to purchase vegetables: objective analysis by using a point-of-sales system

Yoshiko Ogawa,Naohito Tanabe,Tsubasa Suzuki,Nao Seki,Akiko Honda,Tomoko Azuma,Hiroshi Suzuki

doi:10.1007/s12199-010-0192-8

Yoshiko Ogawa, Naohito Tanabe + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-010-0192-8

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Abstract

Point-of-purchase (POP) information at food stores could help promote healthy dietary habits. However, it has been difficult to evaluate the effects of such intervention on customers' behavior. We objectively evaluated the usefulness of POP health information for vegetables in the modification of customers' purchasing behavior by using the database of a point-of-sales (POS) system. Two supermarket stores belonging to the same chain were assigned as the intervention store (storeI) and control store (storeC). POP health information for vegetables was presented in storeI for 60days. The percent increase in daily sales of vegetables over the sales on the same date of the previous year was compared between the stores by using the database of the POS system, adjusting for the change in monthly visitors from the previous year (adjusted ∆sales). The adjusted ∆sales significantly increased during the intervention period (Spearman's ρ=0.258, P for trend=0.006) at storeI but did not increase at storeC (ρ=-0.037, P for trend=0.728). The growth of the mean adjusted ∆sales of total vegetables from 30days before the intervention period through the latter half of the intervention period was estimated to be greater at storeI than at storeC by 18.7 percentage points (95% confidence interval 1.6-35.9). Health-related POP information for vegetables in supermarkets can encourage customers to purchase and, probably, consume vegetables.

Highlights

A diet rich in vegetables is associated with reduced risk of cancer [1] and cardiovascular disease (CVD) [2, 3]
A significant intervention effect on adjusted Dsales of total vegetables was observed in the late intervention stage; that is, the growth of mean adjusted Dsales of total vegetables from the preintervention to the late intervention stages was estimated to be greater at store I than at store C by 18.7 percentage
Our objective analyses using the POS system revealed that POP health information in supermarket stores could encourage customers to purchase vegetables

Summary

Introduction

A diet rich in vegetables is associated with reduced risk of cancer [1] and cardiovascular disease (CVD) [2, 3]. The Japanese government has been urging its adult population to eat more than 350 g of vegetables a day on average [4]. The average daily intake has slightly decreased from 292 g in 1997 [4] to 290 g in 2007 [5]; a more effective approach to promote vegetable intake is required. Providing point-of-purchase (POP) information can be a cheap and useful measure to promote healthy lifestyle habits [6, 7]. In terms of improving dietary habits, POP information at supermarkets where residents usually purchase foods could be effective. It has been difficult to objectively evaluate the effects of such interventions on customers’ behavior

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