IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v122y2014icp13-20.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The social dynamics of healthy food shopping and store choice in an urban environment

Author

Listed:
  • Cannuscio, Carolyn C.
  • Hillier, Amy
  • Karpyn, Allison
  • Glanz, Karen

Abstract

To respond to the high prevalence of obesity and its associated health consequences, recent food research and policy have focused on neighborhood food environments, especially the links between health and retail mix, proximity of food outlets, and types of foods available. In addition, the social environment exerts important influences on food-related behaviors, through mechanisms like role-modeling, social support, and social norms. This study examined the social dynamics of residents' health-related food-shopping behaviors in 2010–11 in urban Philadelphia, where we conducted 25 semi-structured resident interviews—the foundation for this paper—in addition to 514 structured interviews and a food environment audit. In interviews, participants demonstrated adaptability and resourcefulness in their food shopping; they chose to shop at stores that met a range of social needs. Those needs ranged from practical financial considerations, to fundamental issues of safety, to mundane concerns about convenience, and juggling multiple work and family responsibilities. The majority of participants were highly motivated to adapt their shopping patterns to accommodate personal financial constraints. In addition, they selectively shopped at stores frequented by people who shared their race/ethnicity, income and education, and they sought stores where they had positive interactions with personnel and proprietors. In deciding where to shop in this urban context, participants adapted their routines to avoid unsafe places and the threat of violence. Participants also discussed the importance of convenient stores that allowed for easy parking, accommodation of physical disabilities or special needs, and integration of food shopping into other daily activities like meeting children at school. Food research and policies should explicitly attend to the social dynamics that influence food-shopping behavior. In our social relationships, interactions, and responsibilities, there are countless opportunities to influence—and also to improve—health.

Suggested Citation

  • Cannuscio, Carolyn C. & Hillier, Amy & Karpyn, Allison & Glanz, Karen, 2014. "The social dynamics of healthy food shopping and store choice in an urban environment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 13-20.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:122:y:2014:i:c:p:13-20
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.10.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953614006510
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.10.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hermstad, April K. & Swan, Deanne W. & Kegler, Michelle C. & Barnette, J.K. & Glanz, Karen, 2010. "Individual and environmental correlates of dietary fat intake in rural communities: A structural equation model analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 93-101, July.
    2. Caspi, Caitlin E. & Kawachi, Ichiro & Subramanian, S.V. & Adamkiewicz, Gary & Sorensen, Glorian, 2012. "The relationship between diet and perceived and objective access to supermarkets among low-income housing residents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(7), pages 1254-1262.
    3. Michael D. M. Bader & Marnie Purciel & Paulette Yousefzadeh & Kathryn M. Neckerman, 2010. "Disparities in Neighborhood Food Environments: Implications of Measurement Strategies," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 86(4), pages 409-430, October.
    4. Daniel Nettle & Mhairi A. Gibson & David W. Lawson & Rebecca Sear, 2013. "Human behavioral ecology: current research and future prospects," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 24(5), pages 1031-1040.
    5. Krieger, N. & Sidney, S., 1996. "Racial discrimination and blood pressure: The CARDIA study of young black and white adults," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 86(10), pages 1370-1378.
    6. Ash Amin, 2002. "Ethnicity and the Multicultural City: Living with Diversity," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 34(6), pages 959-980, June.
    7. Travers, Kim D., 1996. "The social organization of nutritional inequities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 543-553, August.
    8. Moore, L.V. & Diez Roux, A.V., 2006. "Associations of neighborhood characteristics with the location and type of food stores," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(2), pages 325-331.
    9. repec:mpr:mprres:3740 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Paul Zimmet & K. G. M. M. Alberti & Jonathan Shaw, 2001. "Global and societal implications of the diabetes epidemic," Nature, Nature, vol. 414(6865), pages 782-787, December.
    11. Stafford, Mai & Cummins, Steven & Ellaway, Anne & Sacker, Amanda & Wiggins, Richard D. & Macintyre, Sally, 2007. "Pathways to obesity: Identifying local, modifiable determinants of physical activity and diet," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(9), pages 1882-1897, November.
    12. Drewnowski, A. & Aggarwal, A. & Hurvitz, P.M. & Monsivais, P. & Moudon, A.V., 2012. "Obesity and supermarket access: Proximity or price?," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(8), pages 74-80.
    13. Cannuscio, Carolyn C. & Weiss, Eve E. & Fruchtman, Hannah & Schroeder, Jeannette & Weiner, Janet & Asch, David A., 2009. "Visual epidemiology: Photographs as tools for probing street-level etiologies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 553-564, August.
    14. Macintyre, Sally & Macdonald, Laura & Ellaway, Anne, 2008. "Do poorer people have poorer access to local resources and facilities? The distribution of local resources by area deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 900-914, September.
    15. Michael D. M. Bader & Marnie Purciel & Paulette Yousefzadeh & Kathryn M. Neckerman, 2010. "Disparities in Neighborhood Food Environments: Implications of Measurement Strategies," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 86(4), pages 409-430, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Megan R. Winkler & Shannon N. Zenk & Barbara Baquero & Elizabeth Anderson Steeves & Sheila E. Fleischhacker & Joel Gittelsohn & Lucia A Leone & Elizabeth F. Racine, 2020. "A Model Depicting the Retail Food Environment and Customer Interactions: Components, Outcomes, and Future Directions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-21, October.
    2. Cattivelli, Valentina, 2022. "The contribution of urban garden cultivation to food self-sufficiency in areas at risk of food desertification during the Covid-19 pandemic," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    3. Belon, Ana Paula & Nieuwendyk, Laura M. & Vallianatos, Helen & Nykiforuk, Candace I.J., 2016. "Perceived community environmental influences on eating behaviors: A Photovoice analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 18-29.
    4. Robinovich, Jossiana & Bosma, Hans & Borne, Bart van der & Ossa, Ximena & Muñoz, Sergio & Krumeich, Anja, 2021. "Is a ‘culture of plus-size women’ the independent effect of neighborhood disadvantage on female BMI? A cross-sectional study in two Chilean Municipalities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    5. Strupat, Christoph & Farfán, Gabriela & Moritz, Laura & Negre, Mario & Vakis, Renos, 2021. "Obesity and food away from home: What drives the socioeconomic gradient in excess body weight?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    6. Leyre Gravina & Amets Jauregi & Irrintzi Fernández-Aedo & Julia Díez & Joel Gittelsohn & Uriyoan Colón-Ramos & Manuel Franco, 2021. "Residents’ Insights on Their Local Food Environment and Dietary Behaviors: A Cross-City Comparison Using Photovoice in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, September.
    7. Laura Wolf-Powers, 2017. "Food Deserts and Real-Estate-Led Social Policy," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 414-425, May.
    8. Amy Hillier & Tony E. Smith & Eliza D. Whiteman & Benjamin W. Chrisinger, 2017. "Discrete Choice Model of Food Store Trips Using National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-11, September.
    9. Shima Hamidi, 2020. "Urban sprawl and the emergence of food deserts in the USA," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(8), pages 1660-1675, June.
    10. Pemjean, Isabel & Hernández, Paula & Mediano, Fernanda & Corvalán, Camila, 2024. "How are intra-household dynamics, gender roles and time availability related to food access and children's diet quality during the Covid-19 lockdown?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 345(C).
    11. Daniel, Caitlin, 2020. "Is healthy eating too expensive?: How low-income parents evaluate the cost of food," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    12. Bridle-Fitzpatrick, Susan, 2015. "Food deserts or food swamps?: A mixed-methods study of local food environments in a Mexican city," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 202-213.
    13. Astroza, Sebastian & Guarda, Pablo & Carrasco, Juan Antonio, 2022. "Modeling the relationship between food purchasing, transport, and health outcomes: Evidence from Concepcion, Chile," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Madeleine I. G. Daepp, 2015. "Prices and Availability of Healthy Foods across St. Louis," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 60(2), pages 209-224, September.
    2. Michael Carolan, 2021. "Putting food access in its topological place: thinking in terms of relational becomings when mapping space," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(1), pages 243-256, February.
    3. Bimbo, Francesco & Viscecchia, Rosaria & Nardone, Gianluca, 2012. "Does the alternative food supply network affect the human health?," 126th Seminar, June 27-29, 2012, Capri, Italy 126060, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Berning, Joshua P., 2012. "Access to Local Agriculture and Weight Outcomes," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 41(1), pages 57-71, April.
    5. Lauren Chenarides & Edward C. Jaenicke, 2019. "Documenting the Link Between Poor Food Access and Less Healthy Product Assortment Across the U.S," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(3), pages 434-474, September.
    6. Jennifer J. Salinas & Elizabeth Rocha & Bassent E. Abdelbary & Jennifer Gay & Ken Sexton, 2012. "Impact of Hispanic Ethnic Concentration and Socioeconomic Status on Obesity Prevalence in Texas Counties," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, April.
    7. Jason Winfree & Philip Watson, 2021. "Buy Local and Social Interaction," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(4), pages 1454-1477, August.
    8. Nogueira, Helena Guilhermina, 2010. "Deprivation amplification and health promoting resources in the context of a poor country," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(9), pages 1391-1395, May.
    9. Bridle-Fitzpatrick, Susan, 2015. "Food deserts or food swamps?: A mixed-methods study of local food environments in a Mexican city," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 202-213.
    10. Adriana Dornelles, 2019. "Impact of multiple food environments on body mass index," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-14, August.
    11. Zeng, Di & Thomsen, Michael R. & Nayga, Rodolfo M. & Bennett, Judy L., 2019. "Supermarket access and childhood bodyweight: Evidence from store openings and closings," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 78-88.
    12. Geoffrey T. Wodtke & Matthew Parbst, 2017. "Neighborhoods, Schools, and Academic Achievement: A Formal Mediation Analysis of Contextual Effects on Reading and Mathematics Abilities," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(5), pages 1653-1676, October.
    13. repec:zwi:journl:v:41:y:2012:i:1:p:57-71 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Caspi, Caitlin E. & Kawachi, Ichiro & Subramanian, S.V. & Tucker-Seeley, Reginald & Sorensen, Glorian, 2013. "The social environment and walking behavior among low-income housing residents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 76-84.
    15. Giovanni Peira & Luigi Bollani & Chiara Giachino & Alessandro Bonadonna, 2018. "The Management of Unsold Food in Outdoor Market Areas: Food Operators’ Behaviour and Attitudes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, April.
    16. Morrissey, Taryn W. & Oellerich, Don & Meade, Erica & Simms, Jeffrey & Stock, Ann, 2016. "Neighborhood poverty and children's food insecurity," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 85-93.
    17. Arturo E. Osorio & Maria G. Corradini & Jerome D. Williams, 2013. "Remediating food deserts, food swamps, and food brownfields: helping the poor access nutritious, safe, and affordable food," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 3(4), pages 217-231, December.
    18. Jackson, Dylan B. & Johnson, Kecia R. & Vaughn, Michael G. & Hinton, Marissa E., 2019. "The role of neighborhoods in household food insufficiency: Considering interactions between physical disorder, low social capital, violence, and perceptions of danger," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 58-67.
    19. Alger, Ingela, 2021. "On the evolution of male competitiveness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 228-254.
    20. Jones, Eugene, 2014. "An Empirical Assessment of Consumers’ Preferences for Coffee," Journal of Food Distribution Research, Food Distribution Research Society, vol. 45(2), pages 1-26, July.
    21. Katie Kerstetter & Drew Bonner & Kristopher Cleland & Mia Jesús-Martin & Rachelle Quintanilla & Amy L. Best & Dominique Hazzard & Jordan Carter, 2023. "Social solidarity, social infrastructure, and community food access," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(3), pages 1303-1315, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:122:y:2014:i:c:p:13-20. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.