Corner Store Makeovers in East Los Angeles: Research Findings and Lessons Learned

Introduction: Corner store makeovers are an emerging strategy to increase the availability of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and other healthy foods in underserved communities. The UCLA Center for Population Health and Health Disparities is conducting makeovers with four corner stores in East LA. In this presentation, we will describe the evaluation strategy of the corner store makeover and discuss preliminary findings from surveys of community residents and store patrons. Methods: The evaluation strategy of the corner store makeover includes pre/post assessment of intervention effects on 2000 community residents and 1280 store patrons. To date, we have conducted baseline interviews with 1000 community residents and 640 store patrons. Interviews cover topics such as: patronage behaviors; store perceptions; purchasing, preparation, and consumption of healthy foods; and sociodemographics. Results: Preliminary results from our interviews with store patrons suggest that there is ample room for improvement related to healthy food purchasing and consumption: just 1.5% of patrons purchased a fruit or vegetable during their trip to the store, but 30% bought a soft drink. Patrons consumed an average of 2.5 servings of fruit and 1.6 servings of vegetables in the day prior to the interview. Discussion: Low levels of fruit and vegetable consumption suggest that the corner store makeover intervention has a high potential for impact among store patrons and community residents in East LA.