Purchasing patterns in low-income neighbourhoods: implications for studying sugar-sweetened beverage taxes

Abstract

Objective. The present study aimed to determine the store types from which people in low-income neighborhoods purchase most sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and to identify associations between purchasing location and demographic characteristics. Design. Street intercept surveys of passers-by near high foot-traffic intersections in 2016. Participants completed a beverage frequency questionnaire and identified the type of store (e.g., corner store, chain grocery) from which they purchased most SSBs. Setting. Eight low-income neighborhoods in four Bay Area cities Subjects. Sample of 1,132 participants who reported consuming SSBs, aged 18-88 years, who identified as African-American (41%), Latino (29%), White (17%) and Asian (6%). Results. Based on surveys in low-income neighborhoods, corner stores were the primary source from which most SSBs were purchased (28%), followed by discount (18%) and chain groceries (16%). In fully adjusted models, those with lower education were more likely to purchase from corner stores or discount groceries than all other store types. Compared to white participants, African-Americans purchased more frequently from corner stores, discount groceries and chain groceries while Latinos purchased more frequently from discount groceries. Conclusions. The wide range of store types from which SSBs were purchased and demographic differences in purchasing patterns suggest that broader methodological approaches are needed to adequately capture the impact of SSB taxes and other interventions aimed at reducing SSB consumption, particularly in low-income neighborhoods.

Secular trends and customer characteristics of sweetened beverage and water purchasing at US convenience and other small food stores, 2014–2017

“…Fortunately, a recent policy evaluation [13] suggests excise taxes may be one effective tool in reducing purchases at these unique sites. At the same time, with many low-income communities relying on these outlets for their food and beverage needs [29,51] and our results showing distinct patterns by socioeconomic resources, it remains important to understand beverage purchasing as both a health and equity issue. Addressing the historical and social conditions that place marginalized communities at increased risk for SSB purchasing and limited water selections, including those at convenience stores, will be essential to improve population health as well as health equity.…”

“…Convenience and other small food stores, such as corner stores, gas-marts, and dollar stores, are frequent venues for SSB purchasing [26][27][28], and research suggests these are key SSB purchasing outlets for low-income communities [29]. However, objective purchase data from convenience and other small food stores are often difficult to capture for two important reasons [30].…”

“…Second, many convenience and other small food stores lack point-of-sale systems due to high costs [30,32]. Relying only on sales data from venues with point-of-sale technology introduces selection bias effects [29] and underrepresents purchasing in marginalized communities. Thus, it remains unclear if the observed declines in SSB consumption and purchasing from prior US studies reflect trends in purchases made in convenience and other small stores and the distribution of customers making these different purchases.…”

Socio-economic and racial/ethnic disparities in the nutritional quality of packaged food purchases in the USA, 2008–2018

“…processed meats), the decrease has been small, while disparities in sugar have widened. More research is needed to understand to what extent these disparities in healthy and unhealthy foods are related to access, such as the types of food stores and quality of their PFP in low-v. high-income areas (59)(60)(61) or whether households participating in food assistance programmes have access to eligible stores, which have minimum stocking requirements for healthy foods (62) . Changing the environment inside stores is a potential strategy to reduce disparitiesin one study, small, inexpensive packs of fruits and vegetables near checkout were purchased more by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants than the average shopper (63) .…”

Understanding Deprived Communities at the Global Level: Semantic, Operative and Theoretical Dimensions of the Phenomenon

“…• Percentage of the population whose income is below the poverty line (Friedline et al 2019;LaValley et al 2019;Lee et al 2018;Maguire-Jack and Font 2017;Mugoya et al 2017;Prakash et al 2017;Slain et al 2018). • Median household income is below the national median level (Chen 2019;Child et al 2019;Cohen et al 2018;Madsen et al 2019;Reboussin et al 2016;Wang et al 2018). • Average household income is in the lowest quartile (Kleinepier and van Ham 2018;Müller et al 2016).…”