142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Food Environment Improvements Resulting from Healthy Vending Contracting: Quantifying Outcomes

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Maryann Mason, PhD , Pediatrics/CMRC, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Sarah B. Welch, MPH , Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, Chicago, IL
Jennifer Herd, MHLP , Department of Public Health, City of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Katherine Nickele , Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC), Chicago, IL
Adam B. Becker, PhD, MPH , Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Franklin Mueller
INTRODUCTION: Improving vending food and beverage item quality is an Institute of Medicine recommended obesity prevention strategy. In December 2012, the City of Chicago established healthy vending contracting standards whereby > 75% of items in every vending machine in City-owned buildings must: meet Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) nutritional standards; display healthier items in prominent locations; limit serving sizes for less healthy items; price healthier items competitively; and make nutritional information available to consumers.  

APPROACH: We conducted a pre-post evaluation of vending machine content using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Vending (NEMSV) to quantify changes brought about through the contracting standards.  Pre-data were collected in the summer 2012 before deployment of machines under the new contract.  Follow-up-data were collected in spring/winter 2013, after new machines were deployed.   All machines covered under the contract were evaluated for nutritional content of items, placement, and nutritional information availability.  Machines were rated using NEMSV standards for vending items: 

Gold > 50% met DGA standards and include one fruit, vegetable, whole grain, or low-fat dairy serving; 

Silver > 40% met DGA standards; 

Bronze > 30% met DGA standards; or

“no award” < 30% met DGA standards. 

RESULTS: 36 vending machines were assessed at baseline; 33 at follow-up.  At follow-up, machines had greatly improved nutritional content. At baseline only 3% (n=1) of 38 machines earned Gold status. At follow up 100% (n=33) earned Gold status.  

DISCUSSION:  Implementation of healthy vending contracting standards resulted in improved food environments in the locations covered under this contract.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe key features of healthy vending polices/contracts Identify key immediate outcomes for healthy vending efforts Discuss potential of healthy vending efforts to improve food environments

Keyword(s): Policy/Policy Development, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-investigator on multiple funded research and evaluation projects. The projects primarily focus on obesity prevention efforts. Topics include food environments and physical activity.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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