A Possible Dose-response Association Between Distance to Farmers' Markets and Roadside Produce Stands, Frequency of Shopping, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, and Body Mass Index Among Customers in the Southern United States

Overview

Journal BMC Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Public Health

Date 2017 Jan 13

PMID 28077113

Citations 7

Authors

Stephanie B Jilcott Pitts

Jedediah Hinkley

Qiang Wu

Jared T McGuirt

Mary Jane Lyonnais

Ann P Rafferty

Olivia R Whitt

Nancy Winterbauer

Lisa Phillips

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The association between farmers' market characteristics and consumer shopping habits remains unclear. Our objective was to examine associations among distance to farmers' markets, amenities within farmers' markets, frequency of farmers' market shopping, fruit and vegetable consumption, and body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that the relationship between frequency of farmers' market shopping and BMI would be mediated by fruit and vegetable consumption.

Methods: In 15 farmers' markets in northeastern North Carolina, July-September 2015, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 263 farmers' market customers (199 provided complete address data) and conducted farmers' market audits. To participate, customers had to be over 18 years of age, and English speaking. Dependent variables included farmers' market shopping frequency, fruit and vegetable consumption, and BMI. Analysis of variance, adjusted multinomial logistic regression, Poisson regression, and linear regression models, adjusted for age, race, sex, and education, were used to examine associations between distance to farmers' markets, amenities within farmers' markets, frequency of farmers' market shopping, fruit and vegetable consumption, and BMI.

Results: Those who reported shopping at farmers' markets a few times per year or less reported consuming 4.4 (standard deviation = 1.7) daily servings of fruits and vegetables, and those who reported shopping 2 or more times per week reported consuming 5.5 (2.2) daily servings. There was no association between farmers' market amenities, and shopping frequency or fruit and vegetable consumption. Those who shopped 2 or more times per week had a statistically significantly lower BMI than those who shopped less frequently. There was no evidence of mediation of the relationship between frequency of shopping and BMI by fruit and vegetable consumption.

Conclusions: More work should be done to understand factors within farmers' markets that encourage fruit and vegetable purchases.

Citing Articles

Changes in Policy Supports for Healthy Food Retailers, Farmers Markets, and Breastfeeding Among US Municipalities, 2014-2021: National Survey of Community-Based Policy and Environmental Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living (CBS-HEAL).

Onufrak S, Moore L, Pierce S, MacGowan C, Galuska D Prev Chronic Dis. 2023; 20:E73.

PMID: 37590900 PMC: 10457115. DOI: 10.5888/pcd20.230018.

Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Educational Events Are Broadly Accepted and May Increase Knowledge, Self-Efficacy and Behavioral Intentions.

Hanson K, Meng X, Volpe L, Jilcott Pitts S, Bravo Y, Tiffany J Nutrients. 2022; 14(3).

PMID: 35276793 PMC: 8840006. DOI: 10.3390/nu14030436.

Associations between farmers' market shopping behaviours and objectively measured and self-reported fruit and vegetable intake in a diverse sample of farmers' market shoppers: a cross-sectional study in New York City and rural North Carolina.

Kelley C, Hanson K, Marshall G, Volpe L, Jilcott Pitts S, Rafferty A Public Health Nutr. 2021; 25(3):600-606.

PMID: 34789356 PMC: 9991615. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980021004602.

Relationship Between Grocery Shopping Frequency and Home- and Individual-Level Diet Quality Among Low-Income Racial or Ethnic Minority Households With Preschool-Aged Children.

Banks J, Fitzgibbon M, Schiffer L, Campbell R, Antonic M, Braunschweig C J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020; 120(10):1706-1714.e1.

PMID: 32828736 PMC: 7529967. DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2020.06.017.

Dietary policies and programs in the United States: A narrative review.

Russo R, Li Y, Chong S, Siscovick D, Trinh-Shevrin C, Yi S Prev Med Rep. 2020; 19:101135.

PMID: 32551216 PMC: 7289763. DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101135.

References

Byker Shanks C, Jilcott Pitts S, Gustafson A . Development and Validation of a Farmers' Market Audit Tool in Rural and Urban Communities. Health Promot Pract. 2015; 16(6):859-66. PMC: 6230373. DOI: 10.1177/1524839915597899. View

Ghosh-Dastidar B, Cohen D, Hunter G, Zenk S, Huang C, Beckman R . Distance to store, food prices, and obesity in urban food deserts. Am J Prev Med. 2014; 47(5):587-95. PMC: 4205193. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.07.005. View

Grin B, Gayle T, Saravia D, Sanders L . Use of farmers markets by mothers of WIC recipients, Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2011. Prev Chronic Dis. 2013; 10:E95. PMC: 3684356. DOI: 10.5888/pcd10.120178. View

Caspi C, Sorensen G, Subramanian S, Kawachi I . The local food environment and diet: a systematic review. Health Place. 2012; 18(5):1172-87. PMC: 3684395. DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2012.05.006. View

Morland K, Evenson K . Obesity prevalence and the local food environment. Health Place. 2008; 15(2):491-495. PMC: 4964264. DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.09.004. View

Befort C, Nazir N, Perri M . Prevalence of obesity among adults from rural and urban areas of the United States: findings from NHANES (2005-2008). J Rural Health. 2012; 28(4):392-7. PMC: 3481194. DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2012.00411.x. View

Foster G, Karpyn A, Wojtanowski A, Davis E, Weiss S, Brensinger C . Placement and promotion strategies to increase sales of healthier products in supermarkets in low-income, ethnically diverse neighborhoods: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014; 99(6):1359-68. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.113.075572. View

McCormack L, Laska M, Larson N, Story M . Review of the nutritional implications of farmers' markets and community gardens: a call for evaluation and research efforts. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010; 110(3):399-408. DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.11.023. View

Jilcott Pitts S, Wu Q, McGuirt J, Crawford T, Keyserling T, Ammerman A . Associations between access to farmers' markets and supermarkets, shopping patterns, fruit and vegetable consumption and health indicators among women of reproductive age in eastern North Carolina, U.S.A. Public Health Nutr. 2013; 16(11):1944-52. PMC: 3795819. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980013001389. View

10.

Payne C, Niculescu M, Just D, Kelly M . Shopper marketing nutrition interventions: Social norms on grocery carts increase produce spending without increasing shopper budgets. Prev Med Rep. 2016; 2:287-91. PMC: 4721399. DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.04.007. View

11.

Jilcott Pitts S, Wu Q, Demarest C, Dixon C, Dortche C, Bullock S . Farmers' market shopping and dietary behaviours among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants. Public Health Nutr. 2015; 18(13):2407-14. PMC: 10271795. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980015001111. View

12.

Surkan P, Tabrizi M, Lee R, Palmer A, Frick K . Eat Right-Live Well! Supermarket Intervention Impact on Sales of Healthy Foods in a Low-Income Neighborhood. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2015; 48(2):112-21.e1. DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2015.09.004. View

13.

Morland K, Diez Roux A, Wing S . Supermarkets, other food stores, and obesity: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. Am J Prev Med. 2006; 30(4):333-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2005.11.003. View

14.

PENCHANSKY R, Thomas J . The concept of access: definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Med Care. 1981; 19(2):127-40. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-198102000-00001. View

15.

Jilcott Pitts S, Gustafson A, Wu Q, Leah Mayo M, Ward R, McGuirt J . Farmers' market use is associated with fruit and vegetable consumption in diverse southern rural communities. Nutr J. 2014; 13:1. PMC: 3896848. DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-13-1. View

16.

Johnson 3rd J, Johnson A . Urban-rural differences in childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Obes. 2015; 11(3):233-41. DOI: 10.1089/chi.2014.0085. View

17.

Jain R . Regression models to predict corrected weight, height and obesity prevalence from self-reported data: data from BRFSS 1999-2007. Int J Obes (Lond). 2010; 34(11):1655-64. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2010.80. View

18.

Glanz K, Sallis J, Saelens B, Frank L . Healthy nutrition environments: concepts and measures. Am J Health Promot. 2005; 19(5):330-3, ii. DOI: 10.4278/0890-1171-19.5.330. View

19.

Jilcott S, Keyserling T, Crawford T, McGuirt J, Ammerman A . Examining associations among obesity and per capita farmers' markets, grocery stores/supermarkets, and supercenters in US counties. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011; 111(4):567-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2011.01.010. View

20.

Baron R, Kenny D . The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986; 51(6):1173-82. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173. View