Harville II C, James DCS, Patterson A, Harper S, Petchulat-McMillan L. A Cross-Sectional Study of Grocery Shopping Factors of Importance among Food-Insecure African Americans.
Nutrients 2024;
16:1188. [PMID:
38674878 PMCID:
PMC11054405 DOI:
10.3390/nu16081188]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to (1) assess via cross-sectional survey the prevalence of food insecurity among African Americans [AAs] after their most recent grocery shopping trip, and (2) examine the grocery shopping factors of importance and characteristics of food-insecure AA grocery shoppers. Most (70.4%) were food-insecure. Food-insecure grocery shoppers were significantly more likely to be younger, less educated, who often skipped meals and/or practiced fasting, accessed a food pantry, were SNAP recipients, were considered to not be in "good" health, and who had higher BMI compared to food-secure shoppers (p ≤ 0.03 * for all). Our data showed that AAs shopped for groceries a mean 2.20 ± 1.29 times per week, for low prices (72.1%), without a weekly budget (58.9%), with a grocery list (44.6%) or using an app (27.6%), for high-quality vegetables (27.5%), for good customer service (22.9%), for store brands (20.8%) and name brands (17.9%).Food-insecure shoppers were significantly more likely to grocery shop more times per week, have a weekly budget, and use an app, but were significantly less likely to report store brands, name brands, good customer service, and high-quality vegetables as grocery factors of importance (p ≤ 0.03 * for all). Grocery strategies such as shopping with a grocery app and/or grocery list could help food-insecure AAs reduce grocery trips, promote meal planning to save money, and avoid skipping meals/fasting, while eating healthier.
Collapse