Department of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA.
Departments of Public Health and Kinesiology, College of Education, Health and Human Services, California State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, CA 92096, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 7;20(15):6536. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20156536.
Grocery store environments are recognized as one of the most crucial community settings for developing and maintaining healthy nutritional behaviors in children. This is especially true for disadvantaged ethnic minority families, such as immigrants, who reside in the Detroit Metropolitan area and have historically experienced inequities that result in poor health outcomes. Rates of obesity and type II diabetes have affected Detroit 38% more than the rest of the state and nationwide. In 2019, almost 54% of children aged 0-17 in Metro Detroit lived in poverty, and 21.6% experienced food insecurity, compared with the state level of 14.2%. Moreover, nearly 50% of ethnic minority children in Metro Detroit consume sports drinks, and 70% consume soda or pop in an average week. The primary purpose of this study was to explore immigrant parents' perspectives on (1) how in-store Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) marketing impacts the purchasing behaviors of parents and the eating behaviors of toddlers, and the secondary objective was to (2) determine strategies to reduce SSB purchases and consumption within grocery environments from the viewpoints of immigrant parents. A qualitative multiple-case study design was used to achieve the aims of this study. Semi-structured individual interviews were completed with 18 immigrant parents of children aged 2 to 5 years old who were consumers in 30 independently owned full-service grocery stores within the immigrant enclaves of Detroit, Dearborn, Hamtramck, and Warren, Michigan. Three key thematic categories emerged from the parents' narratives. These themes were: (1) non-supportive grocery store environments; (2) acculturation to the American food environment; and (3) strategies to support reduced SSB consumption among young immigrant children. The findings of this study revealed widespread SSB marketing targeting toddlers within the participating independently owned grocery stores. Even if families with young children practiced healthy nutritional behaviors, the prices, placements, and promotion of SSBs were challenges to establishing and sustaining these healthy eating habits. The parents believed that planning and implementing retail-based strategies in collaboration with families and considering families' actual demands would assist in managing children's eating patterns and reducing early childhood obesity.
杂货店环境被认为是培养和维持儿童健康营养行为的最重要的社区环境之一。对于处于不利地位的少数民族家庭，如移民，这种情况尤其如此，他们居住在底特律大都市区，历史上经历了不平等，导致健康状况不佳。肥胖和 2 型糖尿病的发病率在底特律 38%以上，比该州和全国其他地区都高。2019 年，大都市区 0-17 岁的儿童中有近 54%生活在贫困中，21.6%经历粮食不安全，而该州的这一比例为 14.2%。此外，大都市区近 50%的少数族裔儿童饮用运动饮料，每周有 70%的儿童饮用苏打水或汽水。本研究的主要目的是探讨移民父母的观点：（1）店内含糖饮料（SSB）营销如何影响父母的购买行为和幼儿的饮食行为；（2）从移民父母的角度确定减少杂货店环境中 SSB 购买和消费的策略。采用定性多案例研究设计来实现本研究的目的。对密歇根州底特律、迪尔伯恩、哈姆特拉克姆和沃伦的移民飞地内 30 家独立全服务杂货店的 2 至 5 岁儿童的 18 名移民父母进行了半结构化的个人访谈。父母的叙述中出现了三个关键主题类别。这些主题是：（1）不支持杂货店环境；（2）适应美国食物环境；（3）支持减少年轻移民儿童 SSB 消费的策略。本研究的结果显示，在参与的独立杂货店中，针对幼儿的 SSB 营销广泛存在。即使有幼儿的家庭实行健康的营养行为，SSB 的价格、位置和促销也是建立和维持这些健康饮食习惯的挑战。父母们认为，与家庭合作规划和实施基于零售的策略，并考虑家庭的实际需求，将有助于管理儿童的饮食模式和减少儿童早期肥胖。
