Dataset Information

Nutritional quality of food purchases during the COVID-19 public health crisis: An analysis of geographic disparities in North Carolina.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine geographic disparities in the nutritional quality of food purchases during the COVID-19 public health crisis in North Carolina (NC).

Methods

Using shopper-level longitudinal transaction records between October 2019- and December 2020 from NC's largest grocery retailer, we fit mixed-effect models to examine disparities in the nutritional quality of food purchases among shoppers in counties with different levels of socioeconomic development and how such disparities changed after March 2020, accounting for other observed and contextual factors.

Results

Shoppers in counties with lower development levels purchased a larger share of calories from least healthy foods and a smaller share from healthier foods compared to shoppers in counties with higher development levels. These disparities were slightly attenuated for the least healthy foods and did not change for healthier foods after the onset of the COVID crisis.

Conclusion

Despite existing nutritional disparities among shoppers in counties with different levels of socioeconomic development, we did not observe a large-scale accentuation of inequities in dietary quality during the COVID-19 crisis. This pattern may have resulted from programmatic responses to mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID crisis on vulnerable populations. Future work should further explore the role of such responses.

SUBMITTER: D'Angelo Campos A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11292539 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Nutritional quality of food purchases during the COVID-19 public health crisis: An analysis of geographic disparities in North Carolina.

D'Angelo Campos Aline A Ng Shu Wen SW

Preventive medicine reports 20240705

<h4>Objective</h4>To examine geographic disparities in the nutritional quality of food purchases during the COVID-19 public health crisis in North Carolina (NC).<h4>Methods</h4>Using shopper-level longitudinal transaction records between October 2019- and December 2020 from NC's largest grocery retailer, we fit mixed-effect models to examine disparities in the nutritional quality of food purchases among shoppers in counties with different levels of socioeconomic development and how such disparit ...[more]

PMID: 39091570

Similar Datasets

Project description:PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess whether the retail food environment, measured by multiple indicators around the home and in activity space, was associated with the nutritional quality of food purchases.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 462 households from a quota sampling survey conducted in the south of France (Montpellier Metropolitan Area). The revised Healthy Purchase Index was implemented in order to assess the nutritional quality of food purchases. Food environment indicators (presence, number, relative density and proximity of food outlets) were calculated around the home and in activity space using a geographical information system. Six different types of food outlets were studied: supermarkets, markets, greengrocers, bakeries, other specialized food stores (butcher's, fishmonger's and dairy stores) and small grocery stores. Associations between food environment and the nutritional quality of food purchases were assessed using multilevel models, and geographically weighted regressions to account for spatial non-stationarity. Models were adjusted for households' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.ResultsThe nutritional quality of food purchases was positively associated with the number of greengrocers around the home (1 vs. 0: β = 0.25, 95%CI = [0.01, 0.49]; >1 vs. 0: β = 0.25, 95%CI = [0.00, 0.50]), but negatively associated with the number of markets around the home (1 vs. 0: β = -0.20, 95%CI = [-0.40, 0.00]; >1 vs. 0: β = -0.37, 95%CI = [-0.69, -0.06]). These associations varied across space in the area studied. For lower income households, the number of greengrocers in activity space was positively associated with the nutritional quality of food purchases (1 vs. 0: β = 0.70, 95%CI = [0.12, 1.3]; >1 vs. 0: β = 0.67, 95%CI = [0.22, 1.1]).ConclusionsGreengrocers might be an effective type of food store for promoting healthier dietary behaviors. Further studies, particularly interventional studies, are needed to confirm these results in order to guide public health policies in actions designed to improve the food environment.

Dataset Information

Nutritional quality of food purchases during the COVID-19 public health crisis: An analysis of geographic disparities in North Carolina.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Nutritional quality of food purchases during the COVID-19 public health crisis: An analysis of geographic disparities in North Carolina.

Similar Datasets

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