Multi-level Communications and Access Strategies to Improve the Food Environment
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Obesity Weight Loss |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Endocrinology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 21 - 100 |
| Updated: | 4/17/2018 |
| Start Date: | March 2012 |
| End Date: | March 2014 |
Multi-level Communications and Access Strategies to Improve the Food Environment:B'More Healthy: Retailer Rewards (BHRR)
The overarching goal of B'More Healthy Retail Rewards (BHRR) is to develop, implement, and
evaluate a pilot multi-level communications and pricing intervention to improve access to and
consumption of healthy foods in low-income areas of Baltimore City, Maryland. BHRR has three
primary aims: (1) to conduct formative research with representatives of multiple levels of
the Baltimore food environment (i.e., local wholesalers, retail food store owners, and
consumers) in order to select key foods for promotion, and determine appropriate
communications and healthy food price reduction strategies, (2) to pilot the multi-level
program with 2 local wholesale stores, and 24 small corner stores and their customers, and
assess program implementation through detailed process evaluation, and (3) to assess impact
of multilevel health communications and pricing strategies, combined and separately, on
consumer dietary patterns and food source use, food purchasing behaviors, psychosocial
variables, food security, and individual weight and height.
evaluate a pilot multi-level communications and pricing intervention to improve access to and
consumption of healthy foods in low-income areas of Baltimore City, Maryland. BHRR has three
primary aims: (1) to conduct formative research with representatives of multiple levels of
the Baltimore food environment (i.e., local wholesalers, retail food store owners, and
consumers) in order to select key foods for promotion, and determine appropriate
communications and healthy food price reduction strategies, (2) to pilot the multi-level
program with 2 local wholesale stores, and 24 small corner stores and their customers, and
assess program implementation through detailed process evaluation, and (3) to assess impact
of multilevel health communications and pricing strategies, combined and separately, on
consumer dietary patterns and food source use, food purchasing behaviors, psychosocial
variables, food security, and individual weight and height.
Innovative and culturally appropriate multilevel health communications interventions are
desperately needed to address the chronic disease epidemic in high-risk populations, such as
low-income urban African Americans. However, the vast majority of communications strategies
have focused on educating individual consumers about healthy food choices, while in poor
urban settings the lower availability of affordable healthy food choices greatly limits the
impact of these messages. The study team worked with 1 wholesaler and 24 small retail food
stores to develop and test novel strategies in Baltimore, Maryland, including: 1) multilevel
health communications alone directed at wholesalers, retailers and low-income African
American consumers intended to enhance willingness to stock and/or purchase healthy foods; 2)
pricing strategies (performance based allowances) directed at wholesalers and retailers to
increase their stocking of healthy foods at reduced prices; and 3) combined health
communications and pricing strategies. Intervention strategies were tailored to meet the
needs of the target populations based on formative research and stakeholder input. This
research study is based on significant field experience in this setting, including the
development of evaluation tools to assess change in stocking and pricing of key foods (at the
store level), and psychosocial factors, dietary intake, and food purchasing behaviors (at the
consumer level). There are 3 main study aims:
1. Formative research with representatives of multiple levels of the Baltimore food
environment (i.e., local wholesalers and retail food store owners) in order to select
key foods for promotion, determine appropriate communication strategies (e.g., messages,
channels, materials) for each level, and select the most appropriate pricing approach
(i.e., performance based allowance structure and stipulations).
2. Pilot the multilevel program with three wholesalers and 24 food stores (6 control, 6
health communications only, 6 pricing only, 6 combined), and assess program
implementation through detailed process evaluation.
3. Assess impact of the pilot program on a) the stocking, pricing, marketing, and sales
volume of promoted foods at wholesale and retail levels, and b) food purchasing
behaviors and associated psychosocial variables (i.e., self-efficacy, intentions,
perceived cost) at the consumer level (final sample n=12 consumers/store, 288 total).
The proposed research seeks to develop effective, multilevel communication strategies to
improve diet and reduce risk for diet-related chronic diseases. The study team anticipates
this design will demonstrate the value of a multi-pronged and multilevel health
communications approach to obesity and chronic disease prevention, and will lead to a
large-scale trial and informed policies designed to improve food availability and
affordability in low-income urban settings.
desperately needed to address the chronic disease epidemic in high-risk populations, such as
low-income urban African Americans. However, the vast majority of communications strategies
have focused on educating individual consumers about healthy food choices, while in poor
urban settings the lower availability of affordable healthy food choices greatly limits the
impact of these messages. The study team worked with 1 wholesaler and 24 small retail food
stores to develop and test novel strategies in Baltimore, Maryland, including: 1) multilevel
health communications alone directed at wholesalers, retailers and low-income African
American consumers intended to enhance willingness to stock and/or purchase healthy foods; 2)
pricing strategies (performance based allowances) directed at wholesalers and retailers to
increase their stocking of healthy foods at reduced prices; and 3) combined health
communications and pricing strategies. Intervention strategies were tailored to meet the
needs of the target populations based on formative research and stakeholder input. This
research study is based on significant field experience in this setting, including the
development of evaluation tools to assess change in stocking and pricing of key foods (at the
store level), and psychosocial factors, dietary intake, and food purchasing behaviors (at the
consumer level). There are 3 main study aims:
1. Formative research with representatives of multiple levels of the Baltimore food
environment (i.e., local wholesalers and retail food store owners) in order to select
key foods for promotion, determine appropriate communication strategies (e.g., messages,
channels, materials) for each level, and select the most appropriate pricing approach
(i.e., performance based allowance structure and stipulations).
2. Pilot the multilevel program with three wholesalers and 24 food stores (6 control, 6
health communications only, 6 pricing only, 6 combined), and assess program
implementation through detailed process evaluation.
3. Assess impact of the pilot program on a) the stocking, pricing, marketing, and sales
volume of promoted foods at wholesale and retail levels, and b) food purchasing
behaviors and associated psychosocial variables (i.e., self-efficacy, intentions,
perceived cost) at the consumer level (final sample n=12 consumers/store, 288 total).
The proposed research seeks to develop effective, multilevel communication strategies to
improve diet and reduce risk for diet-related chronic diseases. The study team anticipates
this design will demonstrate the value of a multi-pronged and multilevel health
communications approach to obesity and chronic disease prevention, and will lead to a
large-scale trial and informed policies designed to improve food availability and
affordability in low-income urban settings.
Inclusion Criteria:
- 21 yrs of age and a regular customer at participating corner store.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Under 21 years of age and not a regular customer of participating store.
We found this trial at
1
site
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University opened in 1876, with the inauguration of its...
Click here to add this to my saved trials
