Supporting healthful eating through retail environmental change: communities putting prevention to work.

Abstract

More healthful eating patterns can help people achieve recommended nutrient intakes, control calorie intake, and reduce the risk of some of the leading causes of chronic illness and death in the United States such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer (1). Making more healthful choices easily accessible may help people start and maintain more healthful eating patterns (2,3). Although research and programs dedicated to improving access to more healthful food choices are under way (4), there is little empirical evidence to identify what aspects of the retail environment require intervention to improve access (5). It is unclear whether efforts should focus on improving proximity to stores, improving the selection of healthful options within stores with limited stock, making more healthful items more affordable, improving the quality of goods within stores, introducing more healthful options to an area via other retail models like farmers markets, or some combination of the above. One recent initiative that may elucidate what aspects of the environments to change to improve the diet and health of community members is Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW). During the 2-year funding period beginning in 2010, 39 of the 50 CPPW communities committed to enhancing access to healthful food and evaluating the effect of this increased access on behavior (6). CPPW presented an opportunity to evaluate changes to the environment that may support people in making more healthful dietary choices.