A qualitative study of shopper experiences at an urban farmers’ market using the Stanford Healthy Neighborhood Discovery Tool

Abstract

Objective To understand factors which enhance or detract from farmers’ market shopper experiences to inform targeted interventions to increase farmers’ market utilization, community-building and social marketing strategies. Design A consumer-intercept study using the Stanford Healthy Neighborhood Discovery Tool to capture real-time perceptions via photographs and audio narratives. Setting An urban farmers’ market in a large metropolitan US city. Participants Thirty-eight farmers’ market shoppers, who recorded 748 unique coded elements through community-based participatory research methods. Results Shoppers were primarily women (65 %), 18–35 years of age (54 %), non-Hispanic (81 %) and white (73 %). Shoppers captured 291 photographs (7·9 (SD 6·3) per shopper), 171 audio narratives (5·3 (SD 4·7) per shopper), and ninety-one linked photograph + audio narrative pairs (3·8 (SD 2·8) per shopper). A systematic content analysis of the photographs and audio narratives was conducted by eight independent coders. In total, nine common elements emerged from the data that enhanced the farmers’ market experience (61·8 %), detracted from the experience (5·7 %) or were neutral (32·4 %). The most frequently noted elements were freshness/abundance of produce (23·3 %), product presentation (12·8 %), social interactions (12·4 %) and farmers’ market attractions (e.g. live entertainment, dining offerings; 10·3 %). Conclusions While produce quality (i.e. freshness/abundance) was of primary importance, other contextual factors also appeared important to the shoppers’ experiences. These results may inform social marketing strategies to increase farmers’ market utilization and community-building efforts that target market venues.

Harnessing Technology and Citizen Science to Support Neighborhoods that Promote Active Living in Mexico

“…This approach previously has been successfully pilot tested in diverse locations in the USA, including in lowincome Latino neighborhoods. [20][21][22][23][24] However, it has never been pilot tested in a lowor middle-income country such as Mexico. Low-and middle-income countries are high priorities for physical activity promotion because of increasing levels of physical inactivity, obesity, and the high burden of chronic diseases.…”

“…The target sample size was 30 adults aged 45 years and older (8 to 11 per census tract) to achieve saturation of the neighborhood information provided, as seen in US-based studies. [20][21][22][23][24] In these latter studies, it was found that Bsaturation^in relation to basic neighborhood environment issues being identified could be achieved with approximately 8-10 residents from a neighborhood. We also aimed to include a smaller total sample of 10 adolescents ages 11 to 14 years (4 to 5 adolescents per census tract) to complement the information obtained from the adults.…”

“…3,26 Procedures The Our Voice citizen science approach has been described previously. [20][21][22][23][24]29 Briefly, this community-engaged and participatory approach is driven by residents, who utilize a GPS-enabled electronic tablet-based application (the Discovery Tool) with simple audio-based instructions to take photographs and record audio narratives of facets of their neighborhood that promote or hinder active living. The tool also uses GPS to map the walking routes taken by the citizen scientists and geocode their pictures and audio recordings.…”

“…One such approach involves neighborhood residents acting as Bcitizen scientists^to systematically gather information on the barriers and facilitators of physical activity in their neighborhoods and then use their data to collectively advocate for local environmental-and policy-level changes to support active living. This approach, referred to as BOur Voice,^has been shown to be acceptable and feasible in several locales in the USA, [20][21][22][23][24] including in a low-income largely Latino neighborhood in northern California. 20 The benefit of BOur Voice^is the ability to identify strategies that are successful for promoting physical activity in specific environments that take into account existing resources and constraints, and local physical, socioeconomic, and sociocultural characteristics of both the environment and the population.…”

“…The Nuestra Voz (Our Voice) Mexico study builds on previous pilot studies using a citizen scientist engagement approach and a simple e-tablet application (the Healthy Neighborhood Discovery Tool) to crowd source information on barriers to and facilitators of physical activity that are potentially modifiable and realistic given local resources, priorities, and values. [20][21][22][23][24] …”