142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

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Development of an observational tool to assess availability, portion size, and marketing of beverages in stores and fast food restaurants: NEMS-B

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH , Perelman School of Medicine and School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Erica Davis , Center for Health Behavior Research, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Sarah Green , Center for Health Behavior Research, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Kamila Kiszko, MPH , Department of Population Health, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY
Courtney Abrams, MA , Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
Brian Elbel, PhD, MPH , NYU School of Medicine and NYU Wagner School of Public Service, New York University, New York, NY
Background:  Attention to food and nutrition environments as contributors to population-level consumption patterns and chronic disease has increased.  Quality measures are necessary to better understand access to different types of food and to evaluate interventions intended to change food environments.  The Nutrition Environment Measures Surveys (NEMS), a validated and widely used tool, assesses nutrition environments.  However, a tool to specifically examine the beverage environment has been lacking.

Methods: A new environmental measure of beverage availability, portion sizes, and marketing, the NEMS-Beverage (NEMS-B), was developed and tested. The goal of the tool was to describe the beverage environment in a variety of retail locations, including fast food restaurants, corner stores, and supermarkets.  The tool was based off previously developed NEMS tools, pretested, and examined for reliability andvalidity.

Results:  We will present the development, scoring and validation of the NEMS-B, used multiple times in 62 restaurants, 55 convenience stores and 40 supermarkets in New York City and New Jersey. Validity and reliability of the instrument will be presented (analysis is underway).  The tool measures portion/package size, pricing and promotion, and allows for direct comparison of locations at a given point in time and assessment of changes over time. Beverages are classified into categories:  SSBs, 100% fruit juice, sugar-free/low-no calorie non-carbonated beverages, diet drinks, and bottled water, smoothies, shakes, and coffee drinks.

Discussion:  NEMS-B is an important addition to the range of NEMS tools. Systematic measurement of the beverage environment enables quantification and comparison of the availability, price, and promotion of beverage types.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the NEMS-B and its effectiveness as a measurement tool for the beverage environment Design a protocol for assessing a beverage environment

Keyword(s): Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am George A. Weiss University Professor, Professor of Epidemiology and Nursing and Director of the Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Pennsylvania. My research, funded for over $25 million over the past 15 years, focuses on cancer prevention and control, theories of health behavior, obesity and the built environment, social and health policy, and new health communication technologies. I am the developer of the Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey.
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.