NEW YORK, Jul 27 (Reuters Health) - Supermarket programs that draw attention
to healthy foods can have a big impact on people's buying habits, a recent study
reports, and could be an effective way to reach consumers with information to
help improve their diet and prevent chronic disease.
"Cardiovascular disease is a chronic disease that nutritional interventions
can help prevent," state Dr. Lori Mosca of the University of Michigan Health
System in Ann Arbor and colleagues.
Writing in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic
Association, they point out that "cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading
cause of death in both men and women in the United States in 2000."
The researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a special program "designed
to make the task of healthful food shopping easier using color-coded shelf
labels" in the supermarket.
The labels, based on nutritional analysis of more than 10,000 food items,
were prominently displayed on the supermarket shelves and coded green for "best
choice" and yellow for "acceptable choice." The stores also displayed banners
and signs explaining the program.
In the study, Mosca and colleagues interviewed 361 shoppers as they were
leaving 18 different food stores in Detroit, Michigan. The 10-question survey
asked whether shoppers were aware of the special program, and if so how much
they used the shelf labels to choose food items.
About 29% of shoppers said they were aware of the labeling program. About
one in three minority shoppers reported having noticed the program, compared to
only about one in five non-minority shoppers.
Men and women were equally likely to be aware of the labels, as were
shoppers from all educational levels.
Not surprisingly, people who'd had their blood pressure and/or cholesterol
checked during the previous year were more likely to be aware of the program
than those who hadn't.
Among people who said they were aware of the shelf labels, 38% reported
using them to make food choices "a little" or "sometimes," and 17% said they
used the program "often" or "always."
The researchers conclude that "a simple, color-coded supermarket-shelf
labeling program, acceptable to a range of educational levels" can help
shoppers, especially those from a minority background, to make more healthful
food choices.
An accompanying commentary in the same issue notes that "supermarket
programs can help spread the word about cancer prevention, cardiovascular
health, weight management, hypertension, and diabetes, among other health
issues."
