A food-marketing and environmental change intervention to promote fruit and vegetable consumption among Latinos through food stores: Vida Sana Hoy y Maņana

Promoting the consumption of healthy foods among Latinos is a viable approach to fight obesity and prevent chronic diseases that plague this ethnic group. Tiendas are small food stores that serve Latinos in the US by providing traditional food products and services. This study reports on the implementation of an innovative intervention to promote sales and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Four stores from among 42 were invited and agreed to participate. Stores were matched on important characteristics and then randomized to an intervention or a delayed treatment control condition. On average, stores had 5 employees, been in business for 4 years, and offered 27 different fruits and vegetables. The intervention is being delivered over an 8-week period and includes structural changes, a marketing campaign, staff training, and food demonstrations. Forty customers per store were recruited for evaluation purposes and their eating habits are being tracked from baseline to a final 6-month follow-up. Their average age is 32 years, 65% are females, 53% reported a monthly household income of <$,500 and only 18.2% received food assistance. The two stores in the intervention condition used project-designated funds, supplemented with their own funds, to purchase a cold buffet bar to promote the sales of fresh cut-up fruits and vegetables. Attendance at the weekly food demonstration averaged 85 individuals. Tiendas are an innovative venue to reach an important sector of the population and increasing the capacity of the stores to promote fruits and vegetables may improve access to healthy foods in low-resource communities.