Cost of Children's Healthy vs Unhealthy Snacks Does Not Differ at Convenience Stores

卷:49

DeWeese, Robin S. ; Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam

Arizona State Univ

关键词: child;    snacks;    food costs;    convenience stores;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jneb.2016.11.006

学科分类：食品科学和技术

【 摘 要 】

Objective: This study compared the prices of unhealthy (chips) and healthy (ready-to-eat fruit) snacks that students are likely to purchase from corner stores. Methods: Snacks were purchased from 325 New Jersey corner stores; chip prices were compared with fruit prices overall and by store sales volume and block group characteristics. Results: Prices did not differ significantly between chips and fruit in the overall sample in which both items were available (n = 104) (chips: $0.46 +/- $0.15; fruit: $0.49 +/- $0.19; P = .48) or by store or block group characteristics. Neither mean fruit prices nor mean chip prices differed by store sales volume or by neighborhood characteristics. Conclusions and Implications: Promoting ready-to-eat fruits in corner stores to children as a price-neutral alternative to calorically dense snacks can be a viable strategy to improve the nutritional quality of snacks commonly purchased at corner stores.