Abstract
IntroductionSmall food stores are prevalent in urban neighborhoods, but the availability of nutritious food at such stores is not well known. The objective of this study was to determine whether data from 3 sources would yield a single, homogenous, healthful food store category that can be used to accurately characterize community nutrition environments for public health research.MethodsWe conducted in-store surveys in 2009 on store type and the availability of nutritious food in a sample of nonchain food stores (n = 102) in 6 predominantly urban counties in Northern California (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Santa Clara). We compared survey results with commercial database information and neighborhood sociodemographic data by using independent sample t tests and classification and regression trees.ResultsSampled small food stores yielded a heterogeneous group of stores in terms of store type and nutritious food options. Most stores were identified as convenience (54%) or specialty stores (22%); others were small grocery stores (19%) and large grocery stores (5%). Convenience and specialty stores were smaller and carried fewer nutritious and fresh food items. The availability of nutritious food and produce was better in stores in neighborhoods that had a higher percentage of white residents and a lower population density but did not differ significantly by neighborhood income.ConclusionCommercial databases alone may not adequately categorize small food stores and the availability of nutritious foods. Alternative measures are needed to more accurately inform research and policies that seek to address disparities in diet-related health conditions.
Highlights
Small food stores are prevalent in urban neighborhoods, but the availability of nutritious food at such stores is not well known
Sampled small food stores yielded a heterogeneous group of stores in terms of store type and nutritious food options
Supermarkets and large chain grocery stores tend to offer a variety of nutritious foods, and access to such stores is related to improved diet and reduced risk for obesity [2,3]
Summary
Small food stores are prevalent in urban neighborhoods, but the availability of nutritious food at such stores is not well known. One aspect of neighborhood context that has received attention from public health researchers and advocates in recent years is the availability of food outlets and nutritious food, commonly referred to as the community nutrition environment [1]. Given the strong relationship between diet and health, and the limited availability of sources of nutritious food in many low-income and racial/ethnic minority neighborhoods, community nutrition environments may contribute to disparities in diet-related health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease [2,3]. To evaluate community nutrition environments, researchers frequently use food store location and classification data from secondary data sources, such as proprietary commercial databases or business listings from public agencies [4]. More recent approaches use combinations of characteristics included in commercial databases to categorize independent food stores as either “healthy” or “unhealthy” [14,15,16]
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