Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #145108
Title: UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY FOOD ENVIRONMENT: AN INSTRUMENT TO EVALUATE FOOD AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY

Author
item YADRICK, KATHLEEN - UNIV SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
item Bogle, Margaret
item MCGEE, BERNESTINE - SOUTHERN UNIV AND A&M COL
item BEARDSHALL, ANN - UNIV SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
item SIMPSON, PIPPA - ACHRI-DAC
item GOOLSBY, SUSAN - ACHRI

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/11/2003
Publication Date: 4/11/2003
Citation: YADRICK, K., BOGLE, M.L., MCGEE, B., BEARDSHALL, A., SIMPSON, P., GOOLSBY, S. UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY FOOD ENVIRONMENT: AN INSTRUMENT TO EVALUATE FOOD AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY. JOURNAL OF FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY. 2003. v. 17(4). p. A707-A708.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Community food availability has been linked to dietary quality, underscoring the role of the larger environment in individual food choices that in turn impact health. The community food environment may be particularly important to dietary adequacy and health in low-income, atrisk populations. Tools are needed to measure and quantify this environment, in order to better understand its relationship to food intake of individuals. This abstract describes the development of a food store survey instrument for use in the rural Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) region of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. An instrument adapted from USDA's Authorized Food Retailer Characteristics Study (AFRCS) was pilot-tested in 3 LMD counties. Using findings from the pilot test, we developed a market basket of 106 foods to measure availability, variety, and cost of food. These items encompassed Food Guide Pyramid food groups, as well as regionally and culturally acceptable foods. Items were included from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan Food List, representing a healthful, minimal-cost meal plan. A measure of variety within food items using dimensions of style and package type was adapted from the AFRCS. A standardized protocol was developed to determine cost of selected food items. The instrument was pretested by trained surveyors prior to use in a multi-county survey of LMD food stores. Supported by ARS/USDA Project #6251-52000-0020-000.