Understanding Consumer Preferences for Nutritious Foods: Retailing Strategies in a Food Desert

Demand and access to affordable, nutritious food are major concerns in food deserts. Primary data from Detroit, Michigan was analyzed to understand demand for fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV) as a proxy for determining the factors that influence healthy food consumption. Logistic analysis showed that those who could not afford FFV, or share food with others had a lower propensity to consume FFV and that consumers who shop frequently, eat healthy, are food secure, or are able to travel to suburban supermarkets had a higher propensity to consume FFV. Recommendations for policy makers and retailer strategies are detailed

Price and Expenditure Elasticities for Vegetables in an Urban Food Desert

Food deserts are associated with lower quality diets and higher obesity rates. Vegetable consumption is key to a healthy diet, reduced obesity and improved health outcomes. Existing research provides little guidance for improving such food environments due to lack of adequate consumption data. This paper addresses this by estimating vegetable demand elasticities for a food-desert community in Detroit, relying on data from a natural experiment. Expenditure played a greater role in determining purchasing behavior than prices. Both elasticities were larger than the national average. Consequently, any policy that increases income or reduces prices could have a significant impact

Reliability of the Block Kid\u27s Food Frequency Questionnaire translated to Arabic and adapted for Kuwaiti children

Objectives Little is known about the nutrient intakes of Kuwaiti children; this is partly due to a lack of culture-specific dietary assessment instruments to estimate the usual food and nutrient intake of Arab children. The aim of this study was to describe the methodology used in translating the 2004 Block Kid\u27s Food Frequency Questionnaire (Block FFQ) to Arabic using adapted food choices commonly consumed by Kuwaiti children, and to evaluate the reliability of the FFQ in a population of fifth-grade Kuwaiti children. Methods The 2004 Block FFQ was translated from English to Arabic, and food options were replaced with culturally appropriate foods. The modified FFQ was administered to 367 male and female Kuwaiti fifth graders (10.4 ± 0.4 y of age; 53% girls). The FFQ was retested 1 wk later in 26 male students, and 4 wk later in 32 female students. Intraclass correlations (ICC) assessed the reliability between the participants’ first and second FFQs for food groups, macronutrients, and five key micronutrients. Results The combined analysis of boys and girls indicated a moderate reliability for food groups (ICC, 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]; 0.52–0.80) and micronutrients (ICC, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.29–0.72), but was poor for macronutrients (ICC, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.21–0.62). Conclusions The modified FFQ is a modestly reliable instrument for measuring usual dietary intake in Kuwaiti children. The ICC was higher in boys than in girls, probably due to the disparity in the FFQ retest time

Understanding Factors Influencing Breastfeeding Outcomes in a Sample of African American Women

OBJECTIVES: Persistent disparities in breastfeeding rates among African American (AA) women compared to other population groups have motivated researchers to understand factors influencing breastfeeding choices using a variety of methods. Quantitative surveys are more commonly reported, however, qualitative work that amplifies voices of AA women is limited. METHODS: Participants were recruited from a randomized controlled feasibility trial focused on breastfeeding support for AA women in Detroit, MI. Thirteen women were enrolled in the qualitative portion of the study described here. Using the Socioecological model (SEM) as the theoretical foundation, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to explore perceived facilitators and barriers to breastfeeding. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Theoretical thematic analysis. RESULTS: Women reported factors ranging from micro to macro SEM levels that discouraged or reinforced breastfeeding. Key challenges included breastfeeding-related discouragement issues, including factors that decreased confidence and led women to terminate breastfeeding (e.g., problems with latching, pumping, lack of comfort with breastfeeding in public, and work constraints). Facilitators included perceived mother and infant benefits, perseverance/commitment/self-motivation, pumping ability, and social support. Participant suggestions for expanding breastfeeding promotion and support included: (1) tangible, immediate, and proactive support; (2) positive non-judgmental support; (3) milk supply and use of pump education; and (4) self-motivation/willpower/perseverance. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Despite the identification of common facilitators, findings reveal AA women face many obstacles to meeting breastfeeding recommendations. Collaborative discussions between women and healthcare providers focused on suggestions provided by AA women should be encouraged

Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy as a Predictor of Breastfeeding Intensity Among African American Women in the Mama Bear Feasibility Trial

Background: Improving breastfeeding rates among African American (AA) families is an important public health goal. Breastfeeding self-efficacy, a known predictor of breastfeeding behavior, has seldom been assessed among AAs, in relation to breastfeeding intensity (% breastfeeding relative to total feeding) or as a protective factor in combating the historical breastfeeding challenges faced by people of color. We aimed to test the association between breastfeeding self-efficacy assessed during pregnancy and breastfeeding intensity assessed in the early postpartum period. Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled feasibility trial of breastfeeding support and postpartum weight management. AA women were recruited during pregnancy from a prenatal clinic in Detroit, MI. Data presented, in this study, were collected at enrollment (n = 50) and ∼6 weeks postpartum (n = 31). Linear regression models were used, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: There were no differences in breastfeeding intensity by study arm; data are from all women with complete data on targeted variables. Age ranged from 18 to 43 years, 52% were Women, Infant\u27s, and Children program enrollees, and 62% had ≥ some college. Breastfeeding self-efficacy during pregnancy was a significant predictor of breastfeeding intensity in the early postpartum period (β = 0.125, p \u3c 0.05) with only slight attenuation in the fully adjusted model (β = 0.123, p \u3c 0.05). Implications for Practice: Our results confirm that self-efficacy is an important predictor of breastfeeding practice. Furthermore, the simple act of assessing breastfeeding self-efficacy permits an opportunity for women to reflect on breastfeeding possibilities, and can inform individualized confidence-building interventions to improve the disproportionately low breastfeeding rates among AAs. Clinical Trial Registration number NCT03480048

Plots the percentage of each type of nutritional label that has been fixated as a function of viewing time.

<p>Data were collapsed across participants so the percentage was based on the number of labels fixated out of the 220 total labels per label type (4 labels x 55 participants)</p

Estimated mean total eye-gaze time spent on the Nutrition Facts Panel for cereal and cracker packages that did and did not include an FOP label.

<p>A 2-way interaction was apparent between product type and whether an FOP label was present or not, P<0.05.)</p

(2A) Principle display panels (PDP for the four brands of cereal (top row) and four brands of crackers (middle row) that were created (in the form of packages) for the experiment. (2B) PDP of a single brand of cereal depicted at high and low levels of health which include the corresponding traffic light labels. (2C) Illustration of the standard Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) that appears on the panel immediately to the right of the PDP on cereal boxes.

<p>(2A) Principle display panels (PDP for the four brands of cereal (top row) and four brands of crackers (middle row) that were created (in the form of packages) for the experiment. (2B) PDP of a single brand of cereal depicted at high and low levels of health which include the corresponding traffic light labels. (2C) Illustration of the standard Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) that appears on the panel immediately to the right of the PDP on cereal boxes.</p