Exploring the Geographic Variation in Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Behaviour Using Supermarket Transaction Data.

Area of Science:

• Public Health Nutrition
• Spatial Epidemiology
• Food Access Studies

Background:

• Dietary inequalities are a recognized public health issue.
• Food purchasing behaviors are influenced by the food environment and exhibit spatial patterns.
• Understanding these patterns is crucial for targeted health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate spatial patterns of fruit and vegetable purchasing.
• To identify neighborhood-level determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption.
• To analyze the relationship between socioeconomic factors and purchasing habits.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 12 months of supermarket loyalty card transaction data from ~50,000 primary cardholders in Leeds, England.
• Employed multiple linear regression to identify determinants of small-area-level fruit and vegetable purchasing.
• Analyzed purchasing data at the neighborhood level to understand spatial clustering.

Main Results:

• Fruit and vegetable purchasing demonstrated significant spatial clustering across Leeds.
• Neighborhoods with lower fruit and vegetable purchasing had younger residents.
• Areas with reduced purchasing were characterized by lower socioeconomic status and less monthly spending with the retailer.

Conclusions:

• Neighborhood socioeconomic status and resident demographics are significant predictors of fruit and vegetable purchasing.
• Spatial analysis reveals disparities in healthy food acquisition.
• Findings highlight the need for interventions addressing food environment inequalities.