Point-of-Decision Guidance in Small Stores in Rural and Colonia Areas

Background: Limited-resource families of Mexican-origin in the growing colonias along the Texas-Mexico border reside in marginalized areas with high rates of childhood overweight and obesity, poverty, food insecurity, and limited access to large food stores. Working with community partners and team promotoras (indigenous community health workers), the main purpose of this study is to provide preliminary data on behavioral and contextual influences on the development of a meaningful food store guidance policy from the perspective of colonia families and small-store owners.

Methods: An observational food-store checklist was developed and completed in all small-stores in the study area by team promotoras. Team promotoras and community partners identified colonia residents for six focus groups and small-store owners for in-depth interviews. Content and narrative analyses were conducted on transcribed and translated focus group and interview data.

Results: Survey and food store checklist results identify areas of food guidance that are important and feasible to both colonia families and small-store owners. Focus group and interview identified aspects of food store guidance that will facilitate implementation by small stores and acceptance and utilization by colonia families.

Conclusions/Discussion: The results provide information on the development and acceptance of food guidance policy in traditional and nontraditional food stores that serve low-income families colonia areas of Texas. Although at high risk for obesity, low-income populations in colonias have been largely overlooked in evaluation of food guidance policy. Further, small food stores have not been targeted as a venue for guiding food choice.