Grocery store tour education programme promotes fruit and vegetable consumption.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effectiveness of the Produce for Better Health Foundation grocery store tour programme as a nutrition education tool for changing consumers' intention to consume various forms of fruits and vegetables (F&V).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Ten grocery stores in a city in the Southeast USA.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 147 grocery shoppers in Alabama, who participated in a grocery store tour, completed a retrospective pre-/post-survey using the Theory of Planned Behaviour.

RESULTS

Results from independent-samples t tests indicated that mean values of attitude, subjective norm and perceived control were significantly increased after store tours (P < 0·01). Participants' intentions to consume various types of F&V (fresh, dried, canned, juice and frozen), especially dried F&V, increased significantly after store tours. Results from structural equation modelling indicated that before store tours attitude (γ = 0·48, P < 0·01) was the most significant predictor of intention to consume F&V, followed by perceived behavioural control (γ = 0·24, P = 0·02) and subjective norm (γ = 0·21, P = 0·03). After store tours, attitude (γ = 0·51, P < 0·01) and perceived behavioural control (γ = 0·44, P < 0·01) were still strong predictors of intention to consume F&V, while subjective norm became an insignificant predictor of intention.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings revealed positive changes in study participants' attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and their intentions to consume various forms of F&V, which suggest potential benefits of providing grocery store tours as a tool to promote consumers' F&V intake.