{"title":"Long-Term Participation in the New Jersey Healthy Corner Store Initiative and Availability of Healthful Foods in Urban Corner Stores","authors":"Jenna DeSimone n/a, Erin Comollo EdD, Sara Elnakib PHD, MPH, RDN, Mackenzie Ferrante PhD, RDN","doi":"10.1016/j.jneb.2025.05.061","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Urban residents visit corner stores for grocery staples and grab-and-go food items, highlighting their significant role in urban food access. The New Jersey Healthy Corner Store Initiative (NJHCSI) aims to improve the healthfulness of corner stores, particularly those frequented by residents living in food deserts. Long-term participation in programs such as NJHCSI may lead to more nutritious offerings, but this area remains understudied.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The objective of this study is to examine differences in the availability of staple and grab-and-go food offerings between long-term and newly recruited stores in the NJHCSI.</div></div><div><h3>Study Design, Settings, Participants</h3><div>Convenience stores (n=25) in the greater NJ area were evaluated in summer 2024. The tool assessed the healthfulness of the food environments of corner stores via the SLAQ tool (availability staple foods; 13-point scale) and the NEMS-GG (grab-and-go options; 70-point scale). Data collection was conducted by trained research assistants.</div></div><div><h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3><div>Independent sample t-tests examined differences in the availability of staple and grab-and-go food offerings between long-term stores (n=15) and newly recruited stores (n=10).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Long-term participants of NJHCSI, on average, demonstrated a higher availability of healthy staple foods (x=7.3) compared to recently participating stores (x=5.3; t=1.9, p=0.04), specifically offering more fruits and vegetables. Long-term participants also demonstrated more healthful grab-and-go scores (x=10.53) compared to newly recruited stores (x=7.30; t=2.1, p=0.02).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Long-term participation may be linked with availability of healthful staple and grab-and-go foods in urban corner stores. Future research should explore the factors contributing to this difference.</div></div><div><h3>Funding</h3><div>None</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50107,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior","volume":"57 8","pages":"Page S27"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404625001770","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Urban residents visit corner stores for grocery staples and grab-and-go food items, highlighting their significant role in urban food access. The New Jersey Healthy Corner Store Initiative (NJHCSI) aims to improve the healthfulness of corner stores, particularly those frequented by residents living in food deserts. Long-term participation in programs such as NJHCSI may lead to more nutritious offerings, but this area remains understudied.
Objective
The objective of this study is to examine differences in the availability of staple and grab-and-go food offerings between long-term and newly recruited stores in the NJHCSI.
Study Design, Settings, Participants
Convenience stores (n=25) in the greater NJ area were evaluated in summer 2024. The tool assessed the healthfulness of the food environments of corner stores via the SLAQ tool (availability staple foods; 13-point scale) and the NEMS-GG (grab-and-go options; 70-point scale). Data collection was conducted by trained research assistants.
Measurable Outcome/Analysis
Independent sample t-tests examined differences in the availability of staple and grab-and-go food offerings between long-term stores (n=15) and newly recruited stores (n=10).
Results
Long-term participants of NJHCSI, on average, demonstrated a higher availability of healthy staple foods (x=7.3) compared to recently participating stores (x=5.3; t=1.9, p=0.04), specifically offering more fruits and vegetables. Long-term participants also demonstrated more healthful grab-and-go scores (x=10.53) compared to newly recruited stores (x=7.30; t=2.1, p=0.02).
Conclusions
Long-term participation may be linked with availability of healthful staple and grab-and-go foods in urban corner stores. Future research should explore the factors contributing to this difference.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), the official journal of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, is a refereed, scientific periodical that serves as a global resource for all professionals with an interest in nutrition education; nutrition and physical activity behavior theories and intervention outcomes; complementary and alternative medicine related to nutrition behaviors; food environment; food, nutrition, and physical activity communication strategies including technology; nutrition-related economics; food safety education; and scholarship of learning related to these areas.
The purpose of JNEB is to document and disseminate original research and emerging issues and practices relevant to these areas worldwide. The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior welcomes evidence-based manuscripts that provide new insights and useful findings related to nutrition education research, practice and policy. The content areas of JNEB reflect the diverse interests in nutrition and physical activity related to public health, nutritional sciences, education, behavioral economics, family and consumer sciences, and eHealth, including the interests of community-based nutrition-practitioners. As the Society''s official journal, JNEB also includes policy statements, issue perspectives, position papers, and member communications.