The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

3163.0: Monday, November 11, 2002 - Board 7

Abstract #47738

Influence of supermarket and convenience store availability on diet quality index for pregnancy (DQI-P)

Barbara A. Laraia, PhD, MPH, RD, Department of Nutrition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carolina Population Center, CB #8120, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8120, (919)966-5969, blaraia@email.unc.edu, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, PhD, RD, Dept. of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7445, Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, and Jay Kaufman, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, UNC School of Public Health, 2104C McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Pittsboro Road, CB#7400, Chapel Hill, NC 275997400.

Objective: To determine if supermarket and convenience store locations have an independent association with the diet quality of pregnant women. Methods: 973 Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition study participants in Wake County, North Carolina from 1996 to 1999 completed food frequency questionnaires used to compile a Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy (DQI-P). DQI-P includes: servings of grains, vegetables, fruits, folate, iron and calcium intake, percent calories from fat, and meal patterning for a maximum score of 80. Women's addresses, location of supermarkets and convenience stores were geo-coded using 2000 census boundaries. For the analysis, multinomial logistic regression was used with DQI-P categorized into tertiles as the outcome, controlling for maternal age, education, marital status, and race. Euclidean distance to closest supermarket or convenience store defined availability. Results: A one mile change in distance from a supermarket was associated with a 26% increase in the odds of falling into the lowest DQI-P tertile compared to the highest tertile, AOR 1.26 (95% CI 1.05, 1.52). The same relationship existed for distance to a convenience store, AOR 1.22 (95% CI 1.02, 1.47). Predicted values from fitted models using 7.5 miles from and supermarket and 5 miles from a convenience store, the furthest distances in this sample, increased the probability of falling into the lowest DQI-P tertile from 33% to 60%, and 33% to 52%, respectively. Conclusion: Availability of food, as defined by distance to the closest supermarket or convenience store, is independently associated with diet quality of pregnant women in this sample.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Geographic Information Systems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Determinants and Barriers to Health Behavior Change

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA