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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #228270
Title: Food Category Purchases Vary by Household Education and Race/Ethnicity: Results from Grocery Receipts

Author
item Cullen, Karen
item Baranowski, Thomas
item WATSON, KATHY - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item Nicklas, Theresa
item Fisher, Jennifer
item O'DONNELL, SHARON - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item BARANOWSKI, JANICE - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item ISLAM, NOEMI - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item MISSAGHIAN, MARIAM - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2007
Publication Date: 10/1/2007
Citation: Cullen, K., Baranowski, T., Watson, K., Nicklas, T., Fisher, J., O'Donnell, S., Baranowski, J., Islam, N., Missaghian, M. 2007. Food category purchases vary by household education and race/ethnicity: Results from grocery receipts. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 107(10):1747-1752.

Interpretive Summary: The purpose of this study was to look at food group purchases from grocery receipts. Food shoppers who had a child in the home and were the family's primary food purchaser were recruited in front of grocery stores in the Houston area to complete two interviews and to save and mail grocery receipts to researchers. Receipt items were coded by food categories; the percentage of total grocery dollars spent in each of the food categories each week was computed. Overall, the greatest percentage of purchases were for protein foods (24%), followed by drinks (12%), grains (9.2%), vegetables (8.8%), dairy (8.3%), mixed dishes (7.5%), and fruit (7%). Hispanics purchased a greater percentage of fruit and vegetables than Blacks. Whites purchased more alcohol products than Blacks. Whites purchased more mixed dishes than Hispanics, and Blacks purchased more protein foods than Whites. Education programs can be tailored to encourage healthy purchases within food/beverage groups.

Technical Abstract: In order to characterize food group purchases from grocery receipts. Food shoppers (aged >/=19 years with at least one child aged