Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 S. 2nd Street, WBOB Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015, USA.
Public Health Nutr. 2010 Jul;13(7):1031-5. doi: 10.1017/S1368980009992771. Epub 2009 Dec 8.
Given that small food stores may be important retail food sources in low-income urban communities, our objective was to examine cross-city comparative data documenting healthy food availability within such facilities, particularly those located in low-income areas and nearby schools.
Food stores in Baltimore, Maryland; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Oakland, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were selected for assessment based on proximity to low-income schools. Stores were defined as: (i) single-aisle (n 45); (ii) small (2-5 aisles; n 52); and (iii) large (> or = 6 aisles; n 8). Staff conducted in-store audits to assess the presence/absence of twenty-eight healthy items, organized within five categories: (i) fresh fruits/vegetables, (ii) processed fruits/vegetables, (iii) healthy beverages/low-fat dairy, (iv) healthy snacks and (v) other healthy staple foods.
The availability of healthy food items was low, particularly in single-aisle and small stores, and there was significant cross-site variability in the availability of healthy snacks (P < 0.0001) and other healthy staple foods (P < 0.0001). No cross-site differences existed for fruits/vegetables or healthy beverages/low-fat dairy availability. Healthy food availability scores increased significantly with store size for nearly all food/beverage categories (P < 0.01).
Overall, healthy food availability in these venues was limited. Region-specific factors may be important to consider in understanding factors influencing healthy food availability in small urban markets. Data suggest that efforts to promote healthy diets in low-income communities may be compromised by a lack of available healthy foods. Interventions targeting small stores need to be developed and tailored for use in urban areas across the USA.
鉴于小食品店可能是低收入城市社区重要的零售食品来源，我们的目标是研究记录这些设施内健康食品供应情况的跨城市比较数据，特别是那些位于低收入地区和学校附近的食品店。
马里兰州巴尔的摩市、明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯/圣保罗市、加利福尼亚州奥克兰市和宾夕法尼亚州费城的食品店，根据与低收入学校的距离来选择评估对象。商店被定义为：（i）单通道（n=45）；（ii）小型（2-5 通道；n=52）；和（iii）大型（>=6 通道；n=8）。工作人员在店内进行审计，评估 28 种健康食品的存在/不存在情况，这些食品被分为五类：（i）新鲜水果/蔬菜；（ii）加工水果/蔬菜；（iii）健康饮料/低脂乳制品；（iv）健康小吃；和（v）其他健康主食。
健康食品的供应情况很低，特别是在单通道和小型商店中，并且在健康小吃（P<0.0001）和其他健康主食（P<0.0001）的供应方面存在显著的跨地点差异。水果/蔬菜或健康饮料/低脂乳制品的供应方面没有跨地点差异。对于几乎所有的食品/饮料类别，商店规模的增加与健康食品供应评分的显著增加有关（P<0.01）。
总体而言，这些场所的健康食品供应有限。在理解影响小型城市市场健康食品供应的因素时，特定区域的因素可能很重要。数据表明，在低收入社区促进健康饮食的努力可能因缺乏可用的健康食品而受到影响。需要针对小型商店制定并针对美国各地城市地区进行调整的干预措施。
