Perceptions of buying and selling healthy food in Hartford: A CBPR approach

A growing body of research has documented a problem of limited access to healthy food in urban, minority neighborhoods compared to surrounding suburbs, and this lack of food access contributes to health disparities such as obesity. The Hartford Food System (HFS), a non-profit organization, recognized the lack of access to healthy food in corner markets and that this local food environment could be detrimental to the health of Hartford residents. During the spring of 2006, the HFS created the “Healthy Food Retailer Initiative” (HFRI) to encourage small grocery stores to sell healthier items. Over the past two years, the Center for Public Health & Health Policy at the University of Connecticut has developed a community-university partnership with the HFS to help evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of the HFRI. We have conducted focus groups with customers to examine perceptions of healthy food and food purchasing decisions, and interviews with store merchants to identify barriers to selling healthy food. These results will help inform a larger quantitative study we will begin the summer of 2008 to measure changes to the store inventories and purchasing habits of customers comparing stores participating in the HFRI with control stores. Through this CBPR process, we have held quarterly team meetings, developed an advisory board, and successfully received two foundation grants. Small steps to improve dietary intake can significantly prevent or delay the onset of obesity, and this research will help identify successful strategies that can be replicated in other corner store initiatives.