Abstract
There is a paucity of studies acknowledging the existence of alternative food sources,
and factors associated with food purchasing from three common alternative sources:
vendedores (mobile food vendors), pulgas (flea markets), and vecinos/amigos (neighbors/friends). This analysis aims to examine the use of alternative food sources
by Mexican-origin women from Texas-border colonias and determine factors associated with their use. The design was cross-sectional.
Promotora-researchers (promotoras de salud trained in research methods) recruited 610 Mexican-origin women from 44 colonias and conducted in-person surveys. Surveys included participant characteristics and
measures of food environment use and household food security. Statistical analyses
included separate logistic regressions, modeled for food purchase from mobile food
vendors, pulgas, or neighbors/friends. Child food insecurity was associated with purchasing food
from mobile food vendors, while household food security was associated with using
pulgas or neighbors/friends. School nutrition program participants were more likely to live
in households that depend on alternative food sources. Efforts to increase healthful
food consumption such as fruits and vegetables should acknowledge all potential food
sources (traditional, convenience, nontraditional, and alternative), especially those
preferred by colonia residents. Current findings support the conceptual broadening of the retail food
environment, and the importance of linking use with spatial access (proximity) to
more accurately depict access to food sources.
Keywords
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Biography
J. R. Sharkey is a professor, Social and Behavioral Health, director, Comidas Saludables y Gente Sana en las Colonias del Sur de Tejas, director, Program for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, director, Texas Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation, Network Collaborating Center, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station.
Biography
W. R. Dean is an assistant professor, Comidas Saludables y Gente Sana en las Colonias del Sur de Tejas, Program for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, Texas Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network Collaborating Center, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station.
Biography
C. M. Johnson is a doctoral student, University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Department of Nutrition, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 25, 2012
Accepted:
November 22,
2011
Footnotes
FUNDING/SUPPORT This research was supported in part with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (#5P20MD002295) and by Cooperative Agreement #1U48DP001924 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Research Centers Program through Core Research Project and Special Interest Project Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH and CDC.
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
