Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

A possible dose–response association between distance to farmers’ markets and roadside produce stands, frequency of shopping, fruit and vegetable consumption, and body mass index among customers in the Southern United States

Authors: Stephanie B. Jilcott Pitts, Jedediah Hinkley, Qiang Wu, Jared T. McGuirt, Mary Jane Lyonnais, Ann P. Rafferty, Olivia R. Whitt, Nancy Winterbauer, Lisa Phillips

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The association between farmers’ market characteristics and consumer shopping habits remains unclear. Our objective was to examine associations among distance to farmers’ markets, amenities within farmers’ markets, frequency of farmers’ market shopping, fruit and vegetable consumption, and body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that the relationship between frequency of farmers’ market shopping and BMI would be mediated by fruit and vegetable consumption.

Methods

In 15 farmers’ markets in northeastern North Carolina, July–September 2015, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 263 farmers’ market customers (199 provided complete address data) and conducted farmers’ market audits. To participate, customers had to be over 18 years of age, and English speaking. Dependent variables included farmers’ market shopping frequency, fruit and vegetable consumption, and BMI. Analysis of variance, adjusted multinomial logistic regression, Poisson regression, and linear regression models, adjusted for age, race, sex, and education, were used to examine associations between distance to farmers’ markets, amenities within farmers’ markets, frequency of farmers’ market shopping, fruit and vegetable consumption, and BMI.

Results

Those who reported shopping at farmers’ markets a few times per year or less reported consuming 4.4 (standard deviation = 1.7) daily servings of fruits and vegetables, and those who reported shopping 2 or more times per week reported consuming 5.5 (2.2) daily servings. There was no association between farmers’ market amenities, and shopping frequency or fruit and vegetable consumption. Those who shopped 2 or more times per week had a statistically significantly lower BMI than those who shopped less frequently. There was no evidence of mediation of the relationship between frequency of shopping and BMI by fruit and vegetable consumption.

Conclusions

More work should be done to understand factors within farmers’ markets that encourage fruit and vegetable purchases.
Literature
1.
Befort CA, Nazir N, Perri MG. Prevalence of obesity among adults from rural and urban areas of the united states: Findings from NHANES (2005–2008). J Rural Health. 2012;28(4):392–97.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
2.
Johnson III JA, Johnson AM. Urban–rural differences in childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Childhood Obesity. 2015;11(3):233–41.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Glanz K, Sallis JF, Saelens BE, Frank LD. Healthy nutrition environments: Concepts and measures. Amer J Health Prom. 2005;19(5):330–33.CrossRef
4.
McCormack LA, Laska MN, Larson NI, Story M. Review of the nutritional implications of farmers’ markets and community gardens: A call for evaluation and research efforts. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(3):399–408.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Morland KB, Evenson KR. Obesity prevalence and the local food environment. Health Place. 2009;15(2):491–95.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Morland K, Roux AVD, Wing S. Supermarkets, other food stores, and obesity: The atherosclerosis risk in communities study. Am J Prev Med. 2006;30(4):333–39.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Jilcott SB, Keyserling T, Crawford T, McGuirt JT, Ammerman AS. Examining associations among obesity and per capita farmers’ markets, grocery stores/supermarkets, and supercenters in US counties. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(4):567–72.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Jilcott Pitts SB, Gustafson A, Wu Q, Leah Mayo M, Ward RK, McGuirt JT, Rafferty AP, Lancaster MF, Evenson KR, Keyserling TC, et al. Farmers’ market use is associated with fruit and vegetable consumption in diverse southern rural communities. Nutr J. 2014;13(1):2891–13–1.
9.
Jilcott Pitts SB, Wu Q, McGuirt JT, Crawford TW, Keyserling TC, Ammerman AS. Associations between access to farmers’ markets and supermarkets, shopping patterns, fruit and vegetable consumption and health indicators among women of reproductive age in eastern North Carolina, USA. Public Health Nutr. 2013;16(11):1944–52.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Grin BM, Gayle TL, Saravia DC, Sanders LM. Use of farmers markets by mothers of WIC recipients, Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2011. Prev Chronic Dis. 2013;10, E95.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Foster GD, Karpyn A, Wojtanowski AC, Davis E, Weiss S, Brensinger C, Tierney A, Guo W, Brown J, Spross C, et al. Placement and promotion strategies to increase sales of healthier products in supermarkets in low-income, ethnically diverse neighborhoods: A randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(6):1359–68.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Surkan PJ, Tabrizi MJ, Lee RM, Palmer AM, Frick KD. Eat Right–Live well! supermarket intervention impact on sales of healthy foods in a low-income neighborhood. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2016;48(2):112–121.e1.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Payne CR, Niculescu M, Just DR, Kelly MP. Shopper marketing nutrition interventions: Social norms on grocery carts increase produce spending without increasing shopper budgets. Prev Med Rep. 2015;2:287–91.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
14.
Payne CR, Niculescu M. Social meaning in supermarkets as a direct route to improve parents’ fruit and vegetable purchases. Agric Resour Econ Rev. 2012;41(1):124.CrossRef
15.
Jilcott Pitts SB, Wu Q, Demarest CL, Dixon CE, Dortche CJ, Bullock SL, McGuirt J, Ward R, Ammerman AS. Farmers’ market shopping and dietary behaviours among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants. Public Health Nutr. 2015;21:1–8.
16.
17.
Penchansky R, Thomas JW. The concept of access: definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Med Care. 1981;19(2):127–40.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Ghosh-Dastidar B, Cohen D, Hunter G, Zenk SN, Huang C, Beckman R, Dubowitz T. Distance to store, food prices, and obesity in urban food deserts. Am J Prev Med. 2014;47(5):587–95.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
19.
Hillier A, Smith T, Cannuscio CC, Karpyn A, Glanz K. A discrete choice approach to modeling food store access. Environ Plann B Plann Des. 2015;42(2):263–78.CrossRef
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Jain R. Regression models to predict corrected weight, height and obesity prevalence from self-reported data: Data from BRFSS 1999–2007. Int J Obes. 2010;34(11):1655–64.CrossRef
25.
Byker Shanks C, Jilcott Pitts S, Gustafson A. Development and validation of a farmers’ market audit tool in rural and urban communities. Health Promot Pract. 2015;16(6):859–66.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Bullock SL, Jilcott Pitts SB, Listenfelt B, McGuirt JT, Stanley K, Beth D, Kolbe MB, Rushing J, Wu Q, Ward RK. Availability of farmers’ markets and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Electronic Benefit Transfer systems and associations with rurality, poverty, Race/Ethnicity, and obesity among North Carolina counties. J Hunger Envir Nutr. 2016;11:1–20.CrossRef
27.
Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psych. 1986;51(6):1173–82.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
A possible dose–response association between distance to farmers’ markets and roadside produce stands, frequency of shopping, fruit and vegetable consumption, and body mass index among customers in the Southern United States
Authors
Stephanie B. Jilcott Pitts
Jedediah Hinkley
Qiang Wu
Jared T. McGuirt
Mary Jane Lyonnais
Ann P. Rafferty
Olivia R. Whitt
Nancy Winterbauer
Lisa Phillips
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3943-7

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Public Health 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

Assessment of fidelity in individual level behaviour change interventions promoting physical activity among adults: a systematic review

Research article

Income related inequality and influencing factors: a study for the incidence of catastrophic health expenditure in rural China

Research article

A participatory supportive return to work program for workers without an employment contract, sick-listed due to a common mental disorder: an economic evaluation alongside a randomized controlled trial

Research article

Diet, life-style and cardiovascular morbidity in the rural, free living population of Elafonisos island

Research article

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of institutional food-handlers in Ghana

Research article

Joining the dots: the role of brokers in nutrition policy in Australia