Store Impulse Marketing Strategies and Body Mass Index

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2014 Dec 19

PMID 25521881

Citations 25

Authors

Deborah A Cohen

Rebecca Collins

Gerald Hunter

Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar

Tamara Dubowitz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: We quantified the use of placement and price reduction marketing strategies in different food retail outlets to identify associations between these strategies and the risk of overweight and obesity among customers.

Methods: In 2011 we collected dietary and health information from 1372 residents in "food deserts" in Pittsburgh, PA. We audited neighborhood restaurants and food stores (n = 40) including 16 distant food venues at which residents reported shopping. We assessed end-aisle displays, special floor displays, cash register displays, and price reductions for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs); foods high in saturated oils, fats, and added sugars; and nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, and products with at least 51% whole grains.

Results: Supermarkets and superstores had the largest numbers of displays and price reductions for low-nutrient foods. Exposure to displays of SSBs and foods high in saturated oils, fats, and added sugars and price reduction of SSBs was associated with increased body mass index.

Conclusions: In-store marketing strategies of low-nutrient foods appear to be risk factors for a higher body mass index among regular shoppers. Future research is needed to confirm the causal role of marketing strategies in obesity.

Citing Articles

"The Dollar Store Got It Going On": Understanding Food Shopping Patterns and Policy Preferences among Dollar Store Shoppers with Low Incomes.

Reimold A, Hall M, Ng S, Smith Taillie L, Ribisl K, Charles E Curr Dev Nutr. 2025; 8(10):104457.

PMID: 39886353 PMC: 11780371. DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104457.

Food and Beverage Environments at Store Checkouts in California: Mostly Unhealthy Products.

Falbe J, Marinello S, Wolf E, Solar S, Schermbeck R, Pipito A Curr Dev Nutr. 2023; 7(6):100075.

PMID: 37250387 PMC: 10213198. DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.100075.

UK government's new placement legislation is a 'good first step': a rapid qualitative analysis of consumer, business, enforcement and health stakeholder perspectives.

Muir S, Dhuria P, Roe E, Lawrence W, Baird J, Vogel C BMC Med. 2023; 21(1):33.

PMID: 36703194 PMC: 9878939. DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-02726-9.

Environmental cues for healthy food marketing: The importance of in-store research into three conversions.

Larsen N, Sigurdsson V, Gunnarsson D Front Nutr. 2023; 9:1078672.

PMID: 36618685 PMC: 9811177. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1078672.

Subgroup Analysis of a Randomized Trial of the Effects of Positive Messaging on Patient-Reported Outcomes with Asthma - Effect of Obesity.

Mathews A, Riley I, Henderson R, Holbrook J, Lang J, Dixon A J Asthma Allergy. 2022; 15:1743-1751.

PMID: 36506338 PMC: 9733563. DOI: 10.2147/JAA.S336945.

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