Short-term temporal stability in observed retail food characteristics
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Published on: March 5, 2014
Shannon N Zenk1, Diana S Grigsby-Toussaint, Susan J Curry
1University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, Department of Health Systems Science, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. szenk@uic.edu
Objective:
Use of direct observation to characterize neighborhood retail food environments is increasing, but to date most studies have relied on a single observation. If food availability, prices, and quality vary over short time periods, repeated measures may be needed to portray these food characteristics. This study evaluated short-term (2-week), within-season temporal stability in retail food availability, prices, and quality.
Design:
In-person observations of retail food stores at 2 time points, 2 weeks apart.
Setting:
Southwest Chicago, IL.
Sample:
157 food stores.
Main Outcome Measures:
Availability and prices of food items selected from the following food groups: fruit, vegetables, grains, meats and beans, and dairy, as well as fresh produce quality.
Analysis:
Temporal stability was tested for availability using a McNemar test and for price and quality using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results:
Measures of food availability and prices as well as fresh produce quality at stores were generally stable at the 2 time points.
Conclusions And Implications:
This study suggests that a single observation may be sufficient to accurately characterize within-season food availability, food prices, and fresh produce quality.
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