Abstract
Objective
To examine the effect of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC) food package changes on availability of healthy foods in small
stores.
Design
Pre–post comparison group design with repeat in-store observations.
Setting
New Orleans.
Participants
Small stores (n = 102; 77% of total) were visited in 2009. Of these, 91% were observed
again in 2010, including both WIC (n = 27) and non-WIC (n = 66) stores.
Intervention
The 2009 WIC food package changes to include healthier foods.
Main Outcome Measures
Change in store availability of fruits, vegetables, lower-fat milks, whole wheat bread,
and brown rice. Change in number of varieties and shelf length of fruits and vegetables.
Analysis
Difference-in-differences analysis using logit models for change in availability and
regression models for change in number of varieties or shelf length.
Results
The WIC stores were more likely to improve availability of lower-fat milks than non-WIC
stores (adjusted odds ratio, 5.0, 95% confidence interval, 1.2—21.0). An even greater
relative improvement was seen with whole grains. The WIC stores showed a relative
increase in number of varieties of fresh fruits (0.9 ± 0.3; P < .01) and shelf length of vegetables (1.2 ± 0.4 meters; P < .01).
Conclusions and Implications
Results suggest that WIC changes improved the availability of healthy foods in small
stores in New Orleans. Similar changes throughout the country could have a significant
impact on neighborhood food environments.
Key Words
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Footnotes
The authors have no conflict of interest to report with the sponsor of this supplement article or products discussed in this article.
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© 2014 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
