Jetter Karen M, Cassady Diana L
University of California Agricultural Issues Center, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Health Promot Pract. 2010 Sep;11(5):694-702. doi: 10.1177/1524839908330808. Epub 2009 Feb 12.
Changing the food environment in low-income communities may be an effective way to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers. This study examines the impacts of a pilot study that increases the availability of fresh produce in a convenience store in a low-income neighborhood not served by a supermarket. Two hypotheses based on theories of technology adoption are tested regarding the lack of fresh produce in low-income neighborhood stores: the first is that high fixed costs present a barrier for store owners in developing produce sections; the second is that there is insufficient consumer demand to cover the variable costs of a fresh produce section. The impacts of changing the food environment on store owners and the consumer response to environmental change are measured through weekly inventories of fresh produce. The results show that fixed costs are one barrier for store owners and that although the consumer response is sufficient to cover the direct costs of operating the produce case, it is not enough to cover variable management costs. Consequently, alternative management paradigms or venues may offer a better method to meet the demand for fresh produce by low-income consumers to promote better health through healthier diets in low-income communities.
改变低收入社区的食品环境可能是增加低收入消费者水果和蔬菜消费量的有效途径。本研究考察了一项试点研究的影响，该试点研究增加了低收入社区一家便利店的新鲜农产品供应，该社区没有超市服务。基于技术采用理论，针对低收入社区商店缺乏新鲜农产品的情况检验了两个假设：第一个假设是高固定成本对店主开设农产品区构成障碍；第二个假设是消费者需求不足，无法覆盖新鲜农产品区的可变成本。通过每周对新鲜农产品的盘点来衡量改变食品环境对店主的影响以及消费者对环境变化的反应。结果表明，固定成本是店主面临的一个障碍，虽然消费者的反应足以覆盖经营农产品区的直接成本，但不足以覆盖可变管理成本。因此，替代管理模式或场所可能提供一种更好的方法，以满足低收入消费者对新鲜农产品的需求，通过在低收入社区采用更健康的饮食来促进更好的健康。
