142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

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Using Customer Preference to Promote Healthier, More Balanced Options at Latino Food Trucks

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM

Benjamin Colaiaco , Pardee RAND Graduate School, Santa Monica, CA
Deborah Cohen , RAND, Santa Monica, CA
Mary Martinez-Wenzl, MPA , Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Monica Montes, RD , NEW Health Consultants, Inc., Pasadena, CA
INTRODUCTION – Dining out usually leads to consuming too much salt, fat and sugar and insufficient fruits, vegetables and whole grains,  Understanding the role of customer preferences and opinions is critical to determine how to promote healthier, more balanced options which can reduce the risk of obesity and chronic diseases.

METHODS – We helped 20 traditional, Latino food trucks, “loncheras,”to develop and promote meals that meet the USDA My Plate guidelines.  Upon implementation of the program we are surveying 40 customers over a six-month period at each lonchera, collecting data on demographics, reasons for selecting the lonchera, purchasing habits, and opinions of both the food purchased at the time of the survey and the “My Plate” meals.

RESULTS – To date, we have administered over 120 surveys, with the average customer being a 40-year old, Latino male.   The majority of customers surveyed eat at food trucks at least once a week and selected the specific lonchera for the taste of the food. Although healthy options were available, customers tended to favor their “usual” or came to the lonchera with a specific purchase already in mind.  Over 90% of the customers surveyed thought the “My Plate” meals “look tasty” but nearly 90% said the same meals looked “too healthy.”

DISCUSSION – Despite general favorable reviews of the healthier, balanced meals, lonchera customer preferences seem to be largely predetermined and shaped by habit.  Influencing or changing these habits will be critical to encouraging healthier choices and improving overall health outcomes.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Assess Latino food truck customer preferences/opinions regarding meals away from the home. Discuss how preferences/opinions can be utilized to help encourage Latino food truck customers to purchase healthier, more balanced options.

Keyword(s): Nutrition, Community-Based Research (CBPR)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Benjamin Colaiaco is a PhD candidate in policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research at RAND has focused on program evaluation and quality care for minorities and under-served populations. His research interests include health promotion and disease prevention and quality health care access among minority and immigrant populations, as well as in program evaluation.
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.