Is the Opening of a Neighborhood Full-Service Grocery Store Followed by a Change in the Food Behavior of Residents?

Background: Low-income residents of neighborhoods lacking a full-service grocery store may find it difficult to access healthy and fresh foods. However, will the mere opening of a full-service grocery store in such neighborhoods promote healthy food behaviors? This pilot study primarily sought to: (1) determine if food purchasing and consumption patterns change six months after a full-service grocery store opens in a neighborhood previously lacking access to healthy and fresh foods; (2) identify the characteristics of residents who had begun to use the new grocery store; and (3) identify factors that influenced where residents shopped for food. Methods: Six months after a full-service grocery store opened in a poor neighborhood, 78 adult residents, forming a convenience sample, were interviewed to assess their food purchasing and consumption behaviors at two time points (current and retrospective one year). All lived within a 2-mile radius of the store. Fisher's Exact Test was used to assess differences in relevant behaviors between those who had started to use the new store and those who had not. Results: Sixty-two percent of the interviewees used the new store. Those who used the new store were more likely to live within a one-mile radius than those who did not. The availability of cultural (ethnic) foods, and store safety were the most commonly cited reasons for why people chose to shop where they did. A comparison of food behaviors before and after the store's opening revealed no significant changes. Conclusion: It may take more than six months to observe the effects of a neighborhood full-service grocery store on residents' food behaviors. While our findings indicate that close proximity to a store influences where people shop for food, factors other than proximity are also important. Marketing and nutrition education may help accelerate the desired changes in food behavior.(C) 2007 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved.