Catherine L Mah1,2, Nathan Taylor3. 1. School of Health Administration, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, PO Box 15000, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada. catherine.mah@dal.ca. 2. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada. catherine.mah@dal.ca. 3. School of Health Administration, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, PO Box 15000, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Rural populations bear a disproportionate burden of diet-related risk, and one important explanation is retail food access disparities. Much existing literature has focused on subjective measures of the rural retail food environment, as well as urban-rural differences. The purpose of this paper is to examine how objectively measured food availability and prices vary within a rural region, and to explore how store features predict rural food availability and prices. METHODS: We conducted an observational audit of a census of rural food stores (n = 78) using a modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey instrument. The study was conducted on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. Observed prices in-store were matched to nutrient composition data and converted to three units of measure for all analyses: unit price ($/kg), serving price ($/serving), and energy price ($/kcal). We examined average availability and prices across the region, and how store features were associated with prices. RESULTS: Healthy food options were generally less available across the stores than regular items. However, with few exceptions, there were no clear or consistent patterns of difference in availability or pricing between stores of different types. No single product category stood out in terms of a clear price pattern. Store characteristics (including store type, size, ownership, or rurality) did not predict food prices. CONCLUSIONS: Food availability and prices varied in this rural region, but with limited differences between stores of different types. More research is needed on measuring rural environmental determinants of diet in Canada.
OBJECTIVES: Rural populations bear a disproportionate burden of diet-related risk, and one important explanation is retail food access disparities. Much existing literature has focused on subjective measures of the rural retail food environment, as well as urban-rural differences. The purpose of this paper is to examine how objectively measured food availability and prices vary within a rural region, and to explore how store features predict rural food availability and prices. METHODS: We conducted an observational audit of a census of rural food stores (n = 78) using a modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey instrument. The study was conducted on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. Observed prices in-store were matched to nutrient composition data and converted to three units of measure for all analyses: unit price ($/kg), serving price ($/serving), and energy price ($/kcal). We examined average availability and prices across the region, and how store features were associated with prices. RESULTS: Healthy food options were generally less available across the stores than regular items. However, with few exceptions, there were no clear or consistent patterns of difference in availability or pricing between stores of different types. No single product category stood out in terms of a clear price pattern. Store characteristics (including store type, size, ownership, or rurality) did not predict food prices. CONCLUSIONS: Food availability and prices varied in this rural region, but with limited differences between stores of different types. More research is needed on measuring rural environmental determinants of diet in Canada.
Authors: Christine A Tisone; Selina A Guerra; Wenhua Lu; E Lisako J McKyer; Marcia Ory; Diane Dowdy; Suojin Wang; Jingang Miao; Alexandra Evans; Deanna M Hoelscher Journal: Am J Health Behav Date: 2014-09
Authors: Alexandre Lebel; David Noreau; Lucie Tremblay; Céline Oberlé; Maurie Girard-Gadreau; Mathieu Duguay; Jason P Block Journal: Can J Public Health Date: 2016-06-09
Authors: Kelly Skinner; Kristin Burnett; Patricia Williams; Debbie Martin; Christopher Stothart; Joseph LeBlanc; Gigi Veeraraghavan; Amanda Sheedy Journal: Can J Public Health Date: 2016-06-09
Authors: Gislaine Granfeldt; Montserrat Victoriano; Juan Antonio Carrasco; Katia Sáez; Maria Del Mar Bibiloni; Josep A Tur Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2022-02-03 Impact factor: 4.135