Abstract
The goal of point-of-purchase (POP) nutrition information is to help consumers make
informed, healthful choices. Despite limited evaluation, these population-based approaches
are being advocated to replace traditional, more expensive, individual behavior-change
strategies. Few studies have examined the effect of POP information on buying patterns
of college students, a group with high obesity rates and poor eating habits. This
quasi-experimental pilot project sought to determine whether the “Eat Smart” POP program
affected food-purchasing habits of multiethnic college students shopping at an on-campus
convenience store. Baseline sales data of foods in the cereal, soup, cracker, and
bread categories were collected for 6 weeks during Fall 2008. After Winter break,
a few food items within each of these food categories were labeled as healthful using
a “Fuel Your Life” shelf tag, and sales data were then collected for 5 weeks. In each
of the four food categories, nontagged foods were available at the identical price
as tagged items. Following intervention, there were increased sales of tagged items
(measured as a percentage of total sales) in the cereal, soup, and cracker categories,
while sales of bread decreased. Although none of these changes were statistically
significant, the intervention resulted in a 3.6%±1.6% (P=0.082) increase in the percentage of sales from tagged items. Thus, providing POP
nutrition information in a college campus convenience store may promote healthful
food choices. A longer study examining the effect of POP on sales of items in other
food categories is warranted.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000.JAMA. 2004; 291: 1238-1245
- Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004.JAMA. 2006; 295: 1549-1555
- Medical hazards of obesity.Ann Intern Med. 1993; 119: 655-660
- Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic: Report of a WHO Consultation.in: WHO Technical Report Series; 894. The Office of Publication, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland1999: 1-253
- An overview of food choice and dietary change: Implications for nutrition education.in: Contento I.R. Nutrition Education: Linking Research, Theory, and Practice. Jones and Bartlett, Boston, MA2007: 28-46
- The efficacy of behavioral interventions to modify dietary fat and fruit and vegetable intake: A review of the evidence.Prev Med. 2002; 35: 25-41
- Promoting the maintenance of health behavior change: Recommendations for the next generation of research and practice.Health Psychol. 2000; 19: S76-S83
- Moving nutrition upstream: The case for reframing obesity.J Nutr Educ Behav. 2007; 39: S45-S50
- Obesity prevention in the information age.JAMA. 2008; 300: 433-435
- Ecological models of health behavior.in: Glanz K. Rimer B.K. Viswanath K. Health Behavior and Health Education. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA2008: 465-485
- Impact of nutrition environmental interventions on point-of-purchase behavior in adults: A review.Prev Med. 2004; 39: S108-S136
- Nutrition Labeling in Chain Restaurants: State and Local Bills/Regulations 2009-2010.(Accessed July 5, 2009)
- HR 3590, 111th Congress, 2nd Sess (2010). Sec. 4205.(Accessed March 31, 2010)
- Effect of point-of-purchase calorie labeling on restaurant and cafeteria food choices: A review of the literature.Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2008; 5: 51-56
- Selling nutrition and heart-healthy behavior at the point-of-purchase.J Appl Nutr. 1978; 30: 56-65
- Nutrition education in supermarkets: An unsuccessful attempt to influence knowledge and product sales.J Behav Med. 1982; 5: 189-200
- Nutrition education at the point of purchase: The foods for health project evaluated.Prev Med. 1986; 15: 60-73
- The effect of nutrition P-O-P signs on consumer attitudes and behavior.J Retail. 1987; 63: 9-24
- The impact of a nutrition information program on food purchases.J Public Polict Mark. 1985; 4: 1-16
- The use of nutritive composition data at the point of purchase.J Nutr Educ. 1984; 16: 422-425
- Changes in supermarket sales during and after a staged health promotion program.Br Food J. 2000; 102: 308-329
- Nutrition shelf-labeling and consumer purchase behavior.J Nutr Educ. 1992; 24: 75-81
- Nutrition information in the supermarket.J Consum Res. 1986; 13: 48-69
- Eat for Health: A supermarket intervention for nutrition and cancer risk reduction.Am J Public Health. 1994; 84: 72-76
- Guiding Stars: The effect of a nutrition navigation program on consumed purchases at the supermarket.Am J Clin Nutr. 2010; 91: 1090S-1094S
- Hannaford Guiding Stars.(Accessed July 1, 2009)
- NuVal Nutritional Scoring System.(Accessed July 1, 2009)
- Nutrition iQ.(Accessed November 4, 2009)
- Stop&Shop.(Accessed November 4, 2009)
- Paradoxical effect of a nutrition labeling scheme in a student cafeteria.Nutr Res. 1995; 15: 1251-1261
- Point-of-purchase messages framed in terms of cost, convenience, taste, and energy improve healthful snack selection in a college foodservice setting.J Am Diet Assoc. 2001; 101: 909-913
- Changing food selections in a public cafeteria: An applied behavior analysis.Behav Modif. 1984; 8: 520-539
- Point-of-choice nutrition information for the modification of milk selection.J Am Coll Health. 1982; 30: 275-278
- Influencing food selection with point-of-nutrition information.J Nutr Educ. 1985; 17: 18-22
- Effects of a nutrition education programme on the dietary habits of a population of students and staff at a center for higher education.J Hum Nutr Diet. 1992; 5: 23-33
- Improving patrons' meal selections through the use of point-of-selection nutrition labels.Am J Public Health. 2009; 99: 2001-2005
- Pricing effects on food choices.J Nutr. 2003; 133: 841S-843S
- Can nutrition information increase sales of healthful vended snacks?.J Sch Health. 1993; 63: 386-390
- Point-of-purchase information on vended foods.J Nutr Educ. 1978; 10: 116-118
- American College Health Association—National College Health Assessment Spring 2008 Reference Group Data Report (Abridged).J Am Coll Health. 2009; 57: 477-488
- Weight changes, exercise, and dietary patterns during freshman and sophomore years of college.J Am Coll Health. 2005; 53: 235-251
- Dietary intake, body mass index, exercise, and alcohol: Are college women following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans?.J Am Coll Health. 2001; 49: 167-171
- College students can benefit by participating in a prepaid meal plan.J Am Diet Assoc. 2005; 105: 445-448
- Knowledge of current dietary guidelines and food choice by college students: Better eaters have higher knowledge of dietary guidance.J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107: 1409-1413
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance: National College Health Risk Behavior Survey—United States, 1995.(Accessed July 1, 2009)
- Pricing and promotion effects on low-fat vending snack purchases: The CHIPS Study.Am J Public Health. 2001; 91: 112-117
- A pricing strategy to promote low-fat snack choices through vending machines.Am J Public Health. 1997; 87: 849-851
- Pricing strategy to promote fruit and vegetable purchase in high school cafeterias.J Am Diet Assoc. 1997; 97: 1008-1010
- An environmental intervention to increase fruit and salad purchases in a cafeteria.Prev Med. 1994; 23: 788-792
- Comparison of price change and health message interventions in promoting healthy food choices.Health Psychol. 2002; 21: 505-512
Biography
M. R. Freedman is an assistant professor, Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging, San José State University, San José, CA
Biography
R. Connors was a graduate student, Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging, San José State University, San José, CA
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
December 7,
2009
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
