Laura Y Zatz1, Alyssa J Moran2, Rebecca L Franckle3, Jason P Block4, Tao Hou5, Dan Blue6, Julie C Greene7, Steven Gortmaker8, Sara N Bleich9, Michele Polacsek10, Anne N Thorndike11, Eric B Rimm12. 1. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Electronic address: laz491@mail.harvard.edu. 2. Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. 3. Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA. 4. Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. 5. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. 6. Hannaford Marketing, Hannaford Supermarkets, Scarborough, ME. 7. Guiding Stars Licensing Company, Scarborough, ME. 8. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. 9. Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. 10. Westbrook College of Health Professions, University of New England, Portland, ME. 11. Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. 12. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the grocery shopping patterns of people who shopped both online and in-store and evaluate whether shoppers purchased fewer unhealthy, impulse-sensitive items online. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of 44 weeks of grocery transaction data collected for fruit and vegetable incentive trials in 2 Maine supermarkets. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 137 primary household shoppers who shopped at least once in-store and online (curbside pickup) for 5,573 total transactions MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS: Paired t tests and descriptive analyses compared online and in-store transactions with respect to frequency, total spending, number of items purchased, and spending on 10 food groups and 34 subgroups. Mixed-effects regression models estimated differences in online vs in-store spending on 5 unhealthy, impulse-sensitive subgroups. RESULTS: When shopping online, participants spent 44% more per transaction ($113.58 vs $78.88, P < 0.001) and purchased more items (38.3 vs 26.6 items/transaction, P < 0.001). Compared with in-store, shopping online was associated with reduced spending per transaction on candy (-$0.65, P < 0.001), cold or frozen desserts (-$0.52, P < 0.001), and grain-based desserts (-$1.29, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Online shopping was associated with lower spending on certain unhealthy, impulse-sensitive foods. Grocery-based healthy eating initiatives might leverage online ordering platforms to increase their reach and effectiveness.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the grocery shopping patterns of people who shopped both online and in-store and evaluate whether shoppers purchased fewer unhealthy, impulse-sensitive items online. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of 44 weeks of grocery transaction data collected for fruit and vegetable incentive trials in 2 Maine supermarkets. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 137 primary household shoppers who shopped at least once in-store and online (curbside pickup) for 5,573 total transactions MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS: Paired t tests and descriptive analyses compared online and in-store transactions with respect to frequency, total spending, number of items purchased, and spending on 10 food groups and 34 subgroups. Mixed-effects regression models estimated differences in online vs in-store spending on 5 unhealthy, impulse-sensitive subgroups. RESULTS: When shopping online, participants spent 44% more per transaction ($113.58 vs $78.88, P < 0.001) and purchased more items (38.3 vs 26.6 items/transaction, P < 0.001). Compared with in-store, shopping online was associated with reduced spending per transaction on candy (-$0.65, P < 0.001), cold or frozen desserts (-$0.52, P < 0.001), and grain-based desserts (-$1.29, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Online shopping was associated with lower spending on certain unhealthy, impulse-sensitive foods. Grocery-based healthy eating initiatives might leverage online ordering platforms to increase their reach and effectiveness.
Authors: Katarzyna Iłowiecka; Monika Maślej; Magdalena Czajka; Adrian Pawłowski; Piotr Więckowski; Tomasz Styk; Michał Gołkiewicz; Adam Kuzdraliński; Wojciech Koch Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2022-06-01