Process Evaluation of Baltimore Healthy Stores: A Pilot Health Intervention Program With Supermarkets and Corner Stores in Baltimore City

Abstract

Reduced access to affordable healthy foods is linked to higher rates of chronic diseases in lowincome urban settings. The authors conduct a feasibility study of an environmental intervention (Baltimore Healthy Stores) in seven corner stores owned by Korean Americans and two supermarkets in low-income East Baltimore. The goal is to increase the availability of healthy food options and to promote them at the point of purchase. The process evaluation is conducted largely by external evaluators. Participating stores stock promoted foods, and print materials are displayed with moderate to high fidelity. Interactive consumer taste tests are implemented with high reach and dose.

The Rationale behind Small Food Store Interventions in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods: Insights from New Orleans

“…In the New Orleans pilot research, as in formative research conducted for the Baltimore Healthy Stores Program, small store owners and managers stated that a primary reason that they did not stock more fruits and vegetables was low customer demand (C. Haywood, T. Farley,unpublished data;19). If store operators do not perceive sufficient demand, they do not have a profit motive to shelve greater amounts of fresh produce.…”

Generating better evidence to engage local food outlets in obesity prevention research

“…In many urban cities there is discordance between the characteristics of the owners of food outlets and the populations which they serve. For example, in Baltimore the majority of corner stores are Korean owned but the consumer population is primarily African-American (Gittelsohn et al, 2010). In settings such as this one, the lack of shared demographic characteristics may reduce general concern towards improving the well-being of the population, making the collection of objective measures all the more important to encourage buy-in.…”

Designing the Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls Church-Based Diabetes Prevention Program Through a Participatory Process

“…[16][17][18][19] Evidence suggests that availability andaccesstohealthy food andp hysical activity opportunitiesa re favorablya ssociated with improved dietaryquality andphysicalactivity levels. [20][21][22][23][24] As ar esult,r esearchers have implementedi nterventionst o modify food andphysicalactivityenvironmentsbyworking in varioussettingsincluding food stores,schools,worksites,and homes [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] ;h owever, little hasb eend onet ow orkw ith churches as part of thefoodand physical activity environment.…”