Long-Term Participation in the New Jersey Healthy Corner Store Initiative and Availability of Healthful Foods in Urban Corner Stores

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.

Funding

None