Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience Stores
Increasing rates of childhood obesity worldwide has focused attention on the obesogenic food environment. This paper reports an analysis of children’s interactions with food in convenience stores. Kids’Cam was a cross-sectional study conducted from July 2014 to June 2015 in New Zealand in which 168...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2143 |
| _version_ | 1797562064277864448 |
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| author | Christina McKerchar Moira Smith Ryan Gage Jonathan Williman Gillian Abel Cameron Lacey Cliona Ni Mhurchu Louise Signal |
| author_facet | Christina McKerchar Moira Smith Ryan Gage Jonathan Williman Gillian Abel Cameron Lacey Cliona Ni Mhurchu Louise Signal |
| author_sort | Christina McKerchar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Increasing rates of childhood obesity worldwide has focused attention on the obesogenic food environment. This paper reports an analysis of children’s interactions with food in convenience stores. Kids’Cam was a cross-sectional study conducted from July 2014 to June 2015 in New Zealand in which 168 randomly selected children aged 11–14 years old wore a wearable camera for a 4–day period. In this ancillary study, images from children who visited a convenience store were manually coded for food and drink availability. Twenty-two percent of children (<i>n</i> = 37) visited convenience stores on 62 occasions during the 4-day data collection period. Noncore items dominated the food and drinks available to children at a rate of 8.3 to 1 (means were 300 noncore and 36 core, respectively). The food and drinks marketed in-store were overwhelmingly noncore and promoted using accessible placement, price offers, product packaging, and signage. Most of the 70 items purchased by children were noncore foods or drinks (94.6%), and all of the purchased food or drink subsequently consumed was noncore. This research highlights convenience stores as a key source of unhealthy food and drink for children, and policies are needed to reduce the role of convenience stores in the obesogenic food environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:23:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f618a0939a664edaa5ae125bbbad7f56 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:23:17Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-f618a0939a664edaa5ae125bbbad7f562023-11-20T07:13:21ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432020-07-01127214310.3390/nu12072143Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience StoresChristina McKerchar0Moira Smith1Ryan Gage2Jonathan Williman3Gillian Abel4Cameron Lacey5Cliona Ni Mhurchu6Louise Signal7Department of Population Health, University of Otago, Christchurch 8140, New ZealandHealth Promotion and Policy Research Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington 6242, New ZealandHealth Promotion and Policy Research Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington 6242, New ZealandDepartment of Population Health, University of Otago, Christchurch 8140, New ZealandDepartment of Population Health, University of Otago, Christchurch 8140, New ZealandMāori and Indigenous Health Institute, Department of the Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch 8140, New ZealandNational Institute for Health Innovation, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New ZealandHealth Promotion and Policy Research Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington 6242, New ZealandIncreasing rates of childhood obesity worldwide has focused attention on the obesogenic food environment. This paper reports an analysis of children’s interactions with food in convenience stores. Kids’Cam was a cross-sectional study conducted from July 2014 to June 2015 in New Zealand in which 168 randomly selected children aged 11–14 years old wore a wearable camera for a 4–day period. In this ancillary study, images from children who visited a convenience store were manually coded for food and drink availability. Twenty-two percent of children (<i>n</i> = 37) visited convenience stores on 62 occasions during the 4-day data collection period. Noncore items dominated the food and drinks available to children at a rate of 8.3 to 1 (means were 300 noncore and 36 core, respectively). The food and drinks marketed in-store were overwhelmingly noncore and promoted using accessible placement, price offers, product packaging, and signage. Most of the 70 items purchased by children were noncore foods or drinks (94.6%), and all of the purchased food or drink subsequently consumed was noncore. This research highlights convenience stores as a key source of unhealthy food and drink for children, and policies are needed to reduce the role of convenience stores in the obesogenic food environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2143food availabilityfood marketingchildhood obesityconvenience storeswearable cameras |
| spellingShingle | Christina McKerchar Moira Smith Ryan Gage Jonathan Williman Gillian Abel Cameron Lacey Cliona Ni Mhurchu Louise Signal Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience Stores Nutrients food availability food marketing childhood obesity convenience stores wearable cameras |
| title | Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience Stores |
| title_full | Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience Stores |
| title_fullStr | Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience Stores |
| title_full_unstemmed | Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience Stores |
| title_short | Kids in a Candy Store: An Objective Analysis of Children’s Interactions with Food in Convenience Stores |
| title_sort | kids in a candy store an objective analysis of children s interactions with food in convenience stores |
| topic | food availability food marketing childhood obesity convenience stores wearable cameras |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2143 |
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