Systematic observations of retail food stores in Southwest Chicago

Background. There is growing interest in understanding contributions of the neighborhood retail food environment to dietary behaviors. In this presentation, we will describe food options (food availability, selection, quality, and price) at retail food stores in five predominately African-American and Latino community areas in Southwest Chicago, and compare these food options by neighborhood (census block) racial/ethnic composition. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Illinois Prevention Research Center.

Methods. We developed a food store audit tool for use in African-American and Latino neighborhoods. Over a 4-month period, one of two observers visited 172 retail food stores twice exactly fourteen days apart. Observers documented the availability of healthy (e.g., corn tortilla) and less healthy (e.g., flour tortilla) food options, including the availability of 122 fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. Observers also assessed prices of select food items, as well as the quality of select fresh fruit and vegetables.

Results. Initial findings regarding food availability indicate that across neighborhoods, most stores (86%) had canned fruits and vegetables, but only 37% provided fresh options. Stores were less likely to have healthier food options. For example, while 74% of stores sold white rice, only 11% sold brown rice. Approximately 82% and 15% of stores carried whole milk and skim milk, respectively.

Conclusion. The results suggest that individual-level interventions may have limited success in improving dietary behaviors in racial/ethnic minority neighborhoods if the retail food environment is not addressed. Interventions are needed to increase healthy food options in these neighborhoods.