Impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) healthy food retail in-store nutrition education and marketing

Introduction 

To address environmental risk factors for obesity, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is implementing Nutrition Education Obesity Prevention (NEOP) activities that deliver SNAP education to low income families throughout the county in large retail chain stores to support healthy food purchases. The study objective was to describe the socio-demographic and food purchasing characteristics of the store patrons, and examine their perceptions of the store environment and as well as of the impact of NEOP nutrition education messages on purchasing behaviors. 

Methods

1101 intercept surveys with large grocery store shoppers and store assessments of 5 large stores where NEOP programming is being implemented were conducted between June 2014 – January 2015. Surveys were completed in English and Spanish using QuickTap Survey. Hats and T-shirts were provided as incentives.  Data were exported into SPSSv21 and frequencies analyzed.

Results

Of the survey respondents, 40% of shoppers had less than a high school degree, 32% receive SNAP benefits, 90% were Latino, and 72% were female. Respondents who were aware of SNAP-Ed marketing materials reported that two of the five materials were highly likely to change what they ate or drank. Respondents who participated in SNAP-Ed events or classes also reported that they were highly likely to change what they ate or drank.   

Conclusion

Healthy food retail marketing and health promotion can be an important influence in supporting healthier food choices.  These findings help to understand which components of a healthy retail program most influences health behavior and ultimately consumption for optimal health.