Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114033

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, Prathima Kannan, Nutrition, The University of North Carolina, CB# 8120, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, and Deborah L. Dee, MPH, 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.

Obesity rates are increasing in the US, with no signs of slowing; obesity is increasing in all age groups, races and both sexes. It is higher among women of reproductive age. In order to curtail this complex, global epidemic, it is critical to identify modifiable environmental risk factors—such as household food security; proximity to supermarkets, fast food restaurants; transportation; and neighborhood safety—that contribute to nutrition, health disparities, and risk of obesity in these populations. Postpartum women are of particular interest because of changes occurring in weight that are immediately influenced by their environments. We undertook a qualitative investigation of women's perception of area supermarkets and the role that supermarkets play in shopping behaviors and food selection. Thirty-four postpartum women were recruited mainly through WIC clinics and participated in focus group discussion or individual interviews. Findings suggest that among low-income women in this study there was a high preference for two of 11 large chain supermarkets mentioned by participants, and that customer service, store ambiance, quality and cleanliness of meats and produce, and knowledge of where items were located within the store strongly influenced where women shopped. Study findings will be reported and we will present a supermarket audit created to capture not only food cost, quantity and quality, but also store characteristics identified through the qualitative study. We will show how supermarket measures will be used in multilevel models food environment influences on diet and weight retention in the ongoing cohort study of pregnant and postpartum women.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand measure of supermarket variation
• To understand how neighborhood measure can be used in multilevel models

Keywords: Nutrition, Community

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.