Discrete Choice Model of Food Store Trips Using National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS)

What Is Associated with Changes in Food Security among Low-Income Residents of a Former Food Desert?

Lack of geographic access to foods has been postulated as a cause for food insecurity, which has been linked to poor nutrition, obesity, and chronic disease. Building on an established cohort of randomly selected households from a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood, we examined household food security, distance to where study participants reported doing their major food shopping, and prices at stores where they shopped. Data from the Pittsburgh Hill/Homewood Research on Eating, Shopping, and Health study for years 2011, 2014 and 2018 was limited to residents of the neighborhood that began as a food desert (i.e., low access to healthy foods), but acquired a full-service supermarket in 2013. We calculated descriptive statistics and compared study participants in the former food desert neighborhood whose food security improved to those whose food security did not improve across survey waves. We estimated cross sectional linear regressions using all waves of data to assess food security level among study participants. Distance to major food shopping store was positively associated with food security (p < 0.05) while food-store prices were not significantly associated with food security. Findings suggest that for predominantly low-income residents, food secure individuals traveled further for their major food shopping.

Digitalization in Food Supply Chains: A Bibliometric Review and Key-Route Main Path Analysis

Technological advances such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, social media, and geographic information systems represent a building block of the digital transformation that supports the resilience of the food supply chain (FSC) and increases its efficiency. This paper reviews the literature surrounding digitalization in FSCs. A bibliometric and key-route main path analysis was carried out to objectively and analytically uncover the knowledge development in digitalization within the context of sustainable FSCs. The research began with the selection of 2140 articles published over nearly five decades. Then, the articles were examined according to several bibliometric metrics such as year of publication, countries, institutions, sources, authors, and keywords frequency. A keyword co-occurrence network was generated to cluster the relevant literature. Findings of the review and bibliometric analysis indicate that research at the intersection of technology and the FSC has gained substantial interest from scholars. On the basis of keyword co-occurrence network, the literature is focused on the role of information communication technology for agriculture and food security, food waste and circular economy, and the merge of the Internet of Things and blockchain in the FSC. The analysis of the key-route main path uncovers three critical periods marking the development of technology-enabled FSCs. The study offers scholars a better understanding of digitalization within the agri-food industry and the current knowledge gaps for future research. Practitioners may find the review useful to remain ahead of the latest discussions of technology-enabled FSCs. To the authors’ best knowledge, the current study is one of the few endeavors to explore technology-enabled FSCs using a comprehensive sample of journal articles published during the past five decades.

Food Acquisition and Shopping Patterns in the United States: Characteristics and Relation to Body Mass Index in the US Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey

BACKGROUND

Previous studies examined the association between shopping distance, frequency, and store type separately.

OBJECTIVES

The objective is to explore food acquisition and shopping habits using multidimensional measures and examine its association with body mass index (BMI).

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted.

PARTICIPANTS/SETTING

Four thousand four hundred sixty-six households from the US Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey during April 2012 to January 2013 were included in this analysis.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES

Both continuous BMI and categorical BMI were used.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES

Latent class analysis was used to identify the latent profiles using travel distance and perceived travel time between residential location and primary store, store type, transportation mode, and farmers' market utilization. Multivariable linear regression and multinomial logistic regression were used to assess the association between the identified patterns and continuous and categorical BMI. All analyses were stratified by urbanicity.

RESULTS

Overall, 65% (weighted percentage) of households were located in an urban tract. Thirty-seven percent were categorized as Class 1 (households that shopped more proximally, used their own vehicle, and shopped at a farmers' market), 50% as Class 2 (households that shopped more distally, used their own vehicle, and shopped at a farmers' market), and 14% as Class 3 (households that shopped proximally but perceived longer travel time, used someone else's vehicle, and did not shop at a farmers' market). Among rural households, 54% were Class 1 and 46% were Class 2 (Class 3 was not identified). Socioeconomic status characteristics, proximity, and store food price concerns were associated with the identified patterns. However, no significant association was found between the identified patterns and BMI.

CONCLUSIONS

Food acquisition and shopping patterns were not associated with BMI in this national sample. However, future studies should also investigate the role of economic factors, such as food prices, in relation to shopping patterns and BMI.

The Availability of Culturally Preferred Fruits, Vegetables and Whole Grains in Corner Stores and Non-Traditional Food Stores

Chronic health inequities for communities of color is partially attributed to a lack of healthy preferred food access. This manuscript explores whether corner stores and non-traditional food stores stock fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods that the area cultural communities may prefer as part of complying with a local ordinance. This exploratory analysis identified corner and non-traditional food stores located in immigrant populations of color and African American neighborhoods as part of a larger study. Culturally preferred foods were identified from a list of food items in the parent (STORE) study and used to assess changes in availability. Stores did not have a great variety of culturally relevant foods pre- or post-ordinance, and overall findings show no significant changes over time and/or between ordinance and control community. Further interventions are needed to address cultural food availability in stores near communities of color.

Heterogeneities in Consumer Diet Quality and Health Outcomes of Consumers by Store Choice and Income

Obesity and other diet-related health conditions have received much attention in the public health literature over the past two decades. This study investigates the relationship between household food budget shares at different food outlets with diet quality and weight-related health outcomes in the United States. Our analysis used event-level food purchase data from the national household food acquisition and purchases survey (FoodAPS). We find that, after controlling for observables, food purchase location is significantly associated with diet quality and body mass index (BMI). Our findings indicate that larger food budget shares at convenience stores and restaurants are linked with poor diet quality based on the healthy eating index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores and higher BMI. We further explored potential heterogeneity on outcomes of interest across income groups. Results suggest heterogeneous effects may exist across income groups: low-income households, who spent a larger share of their food budget at convenience stores and fast-food restaurants are related to poor diet quality and more likely to be obese. Our findings will help improve understanding of the causes of diet-related health problems and may illuminate potential avenues of intervention to address obesity.

Household time activities, food waste, and diet quality: the impact of non-marginal changes due to COVID-19

In early 2020, a novel coronavirus quickly spread across the globe. In response to the rapidly increasing number of confirmed U.S. cases, state and local governments suggested social distancing, issued stay-at-home orders, and restricted travel, fundamentally changing how individuals allocate time. Directly impacted time activities, such as work, eating food away from home, grocery shopping, and childcare significantly impact two food-related topics: household food waste and diet quality. In order to investigate these non-marginal time changes, we predict weekly time allocated to seven activities for households in the National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey using information from the American Time Use Survey. Jointly estimating household production functions for food waste and diet quality, we find that time events that are related to fresh produce consumption, such as increased grocery store trips and time spent in FAH activities, are related to higher diet quality, but lower food waste. While time events that are associated with quick convenient meals, such as time spent in secondary childcare and work time, are also associated with lower food waste, these events decrease household diet quality. We then predict the level of household food waste and diet quality for three COVID-19 scenarios: one where the household head is likely able to work remotely, another where the household head is likely to lose their job, and a third, where the household head is likely to be considered an essential worker. Households without children that are likely able to work remotely are predicted to have lower levels of food waste and higher diet quality, while households without children in the other two COVID-19 scenarios are predicted to have only minor differences.

Availability of neighbourhood supermarkets and convenience stores, broader built environment context, and the purchase of fruits and vegetables in US households

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether neighbourhood supermarket and convenience store availability and broader built environment context are associated with food purchasing behaviour in a national population.

DESIGN

We used observational data to perform a cross-sectional study of food purchases for US households in 2010. We used three-level mixed-effect regression models to determine whether the associations between the number of neighbourhood supermarkets and convenience stores and the self-reported annual household expenditures for fruits and vegetables were affected by regional destination accessibility, neighbourhood destination diversity, availability of neighbourhood destinations and neighbourhood street connectivity.

SETTING

Metropolitan statistical areas (n 378) in the USA.

PARTICIPANTS

Households (n 22 448).

RESULTS

When we controlled for broader built environment context, there was no significant association between availability of neighbourhood supermarkets and expenditures on fruits and vegetables; instead, we observed an inverse association between the number of convenience stores and expenditures for fruits (P = 0·001). The broader built environment context was associated with food purchase, although the magnitude was small: (i) higher regional destination accessibility was associated with higher expenditures for fruits (P < 0·001); (ii) higher neighbourhood destination diversity was associated with lower expenditures for vegetables (P = 0·002); and (iii) higher neighbourhood street connectivity was associated with higher expenditures for fruits (P < 0·001).

CONCLUSIONS

The broader built environment factors contributed to understanding how people use neighbourhood food stores. However, there was only a small relationship between the broader environment context and fruit and vegetable expenditures. Policy interventions that focus exclusively on increasing the availability of neighbourhood supermarkets likely will not promote fruit and vegetable consumption.

Delay discounting and household food purchasing decisions: The SHoPPER study

OBJECTIVE

Delay discounting is a neurocognitive trait that has been linked to poor nutritional health and obesity, but its role in specific dietary choices is unclear. This study tested whether individual differences in delay discounting are related to the healthfulness of household food purchases and reliance on nonstore food sources such as restaurants.

METHOD

The food purchases of 202 primary household food shoppers were objectively documented for 14 days through a food receipt collection and analysis protocol. The nutrient content of household food purchases was derived for each participant, and the overall diet quality (Healthy Eating Index-2015) and energy density (kcal/g) of foods and beverages were calculated. The proportion of energy from nonstore food sources was also derived. Delay discounting was assessed with a choice task featuring hypothetical monetary rewards.

RESULTS

Data were available for 12,624 foods and beverages purchased across 2,340 shopping episodes. Approximately 13% of energy was purchased from restaurants and other nonstore food sources. Steeper discounting rates were associated with lower overall Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores and a higher energy density (kcal/g) of purchased foods. Associations were attenuated but remained statistically significant when accounting for body mass index and sociodemographic variables. Discounting rates were unrelated to reliance on nonstore food sources or the energy density of purchased beverages.

CONCLUSIONS

Delay discounting is related to the healthfulness of food purchases among primary household shoppers. As food purchasing is a key antecedent of dietary intake, delay discounting may be a viable target in dietary and weight management interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Purchasing patterns in low-income neighbourhoods: implications for studying sugar-sweetened beverage taxes

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to determine the store types from which people in low-income neighbourhoods purchase most sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and to identify associations between purchasing location and demographic characteristics.

DESIGN

Street-intercept surveys of passers-by near high foot-traffic intersections in 2016. Participants completed a beverage frequency questionnaire and identified the type of store (e.g. corner store, chain grocery) from which they purchased most SSB.

SETTING

Eight low-income neighbourhoods in four Bay Area cities, California, USA.ParticipantsSample of 1132 individuals who reported consuming SSB, aged 18-88 years, who identified as African-American (41 %), Latino (29 %), White (17 %) and Asian (6 %).

RESULTS

Based on surveys in low-income neighbourhoods, corner stores were the primary source from which most SSB were purchased (28 %), followed by discount stores (18 %) and chain groceries (16 %). In fully adjusted models, those with lower education were more likely to purchase from corner stores or discount groceries than all other store types. Compared with White participants, African-Americans purchased more frequently from corner stores, discount groceries and chain groceries while Latinos purchased more frequently from discount groceries.

CONCLUSIONS

The wide range of store types from which SSB were purchased and demographic differences in purchasing patterns suggest that broader methodological approaches are needed to adequately capture the impact of SSB taxes and other interventions aimed at reducing SSB consumption, particularly in low-income neighbourhoods.

How Well Do Seniors Estimate Distance to Food? The Accuracy of Older Adults' Reported Proximity to Local Grocery Stores

(1) Background: Findings from observational studies of relations between neighborhood environments and health outcomes underscore the importance of both objective and perceived experiences of those environments. A clearer understanding of the factors associated with discrepancies between these two assessment approaches is needed to tailor public health interventions to specific populations. This study examined how individual and neighborhood characteristics affect perceptions of supermarket distance, particularly when perceptions do not match objective measures. (2) Methods: Participants were older adults (n = 880) participating in the Senior Neighborhood Quality of Life Study in the Seattle/King County, WA or Baltimore/Washington, DC regions. Two main analyses were conducted. The primary outcome for Analysis I was participants’ geographic information systems (GIS)-based objective network distance to the closest supermarket. Generalized linear mixed models with block group-level random effects were used to assess associations between objective supermarket distance and individual/neighborhood characteristics. The primary outcome for Analysis II was a categorical “accuracy” variable, based on participants’ perceived distance to the nearest supermarket/grocery store relative to the objective distance, assuming a walking speed of 1.0 m/s. Multivariate log-linear models fit neural networks were used to assess influential covariates. (3) Results: Several significant associations with objective distance to the nearest supermarket were observed, including a negative relationship with body mass index (BMI) (95% CI = −45.56, −0.23), having walked to the supermarket in the last 30 days (−174.86, −59.42), living in a high-walkability neighborhood, and residing in Seattle/King County (−707.69, −353.22). In terms of participants’ distance accuracy, 29% were classified as accurate, 33.9% were “Underestimators”, 24.0% “Overestimators”, and 13.2% responded “Don’t Know”. Compared to Accurate participants, Overestimators were significantly less likely to have walked to the supermarket in the last 30 days, and lived objectively closer to a supermarket; Underestimators perceived significantly higher pedestrian safety and lived objectively further from a supermarket; and Don’t Know were more likely to be women, older, not living independently, and not having recently walked to the supermarket. (4) Conclusions: Both modifiable and nonmodifiable factors influence the accuracy of older adults’ perceptions of their proximity to the nearest supermarket. Recent experience in walking to the closest supermarket, along with personal safety, represent potentially modifiable perceived environmental factors that were related to older adults’ accuracy of perceptions of their neighborhood food environment.

Where do U.S. households purchase healthy foods? An analysis of food-at-home purchases across different types of retailers in a nationally representative dataset

Food shopping decisions are pathways between food environment, diet and health outcomes, including chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The choices of where to shop and what to buy are interrelated, though a better understanding of this dynamic is needed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's nationally representative Food Acquisitions and Purchase Survey food-at-home dataset was joined with other databases of retailer characteristics and Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI) of purchases. We used linear regression models with general estimating equations to assess relationships between trip, store, and shopper characteristics with trip HEI scores. We examined HEI component scores for conventional supermarkets and discount/limited assortment retailers with descriptive statistics. Overall, 4962 shoppers made 11,472 shopping trips over one-week periods, 2012-2013. Trips to conventional supermarkets were the most common (53.6%), followed by supercenters (18.6%). Compared to conventional supermarkets, purchases at natural/gourmet stores had significantly higher HEI scores (β = 6.48, 95% CI = [4.45, 8.51], while those from "other" retailers (including corner and convenience stores) were significantly lower (-3.89, [-5.87, -1.92]). Older participants (versus younger) and women (versus men) made significantly healthier purchases (1.19, [0.29, 2.10]). Shoppers with less than some college education made significantly less-healthy purchases, versus shoppers with more education, as did households participating in SNAP, versus those with incomes above 185% of the Federal Poverty Level. Individual, trip, and store characteristics influenced the healthfulness of foods purchased. Interventions to encourage healthy purchasing should reflect these dynamics in terms of how, where, and for whom they are implemented.