Healthy Checkout Lines: A Study in Urban Supermarkets New York - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Healthy Checkout Lines: A Study in Urban Supermarkets

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Tamar Adjoian Rachel Dannefer Craig Willingham Chantelle Brathwaite Sharraine Franklin

Shop Healthy NYC is a neighborhood-based approach that simultaneously addresses supply and demand

Retailers Community Suppliers & Distributors

Increased neighborhood access to healthy food

Healthy Checkout 2015: Objective

To understand the impact of healthy checkouts on consumer behavior at three supermarkets in the South Bronx, New York City.

Healthy Checkout 2015: Study Design/Methods

• Consumer purchasing behavior was observed in

the summer of 2015 at three supermarkets in the South Bronx

• Two checkout lines were selected per store; one

converted to a “healthy checkout” and the other left as it was (“standard checkout”)

• Signage was posted to identify healthy line

Healthy Checkout 2015: Study Design/Methods

• Standard line remained unchanged, no signage

posted

• 2 weeks, 3-hour shifts, 3 days/week
• Lines were switched mid-study to reduce line-

selection bias

Healthy checkout display Standard checkout display

In-store materials were developed to help market Shop Healthy’s Checkout Line Pilot

Shop Healthy NYC

Healthy Checkout Line Pilot

Healthy Checkout 2015: Study Design/Methods, cont’d

• Data collection was conducted during busiest store

hours, as identified by management:

• 3 to 6 PM Tuesday - Friday, 12 to 3 PM on

weekends

• Two data collectors were positioned inside the store

where they could observe consumer behavior at checkout lines

• Data collectors recorded items purchased from
• bserved lines during 18 observation periods

Healthy Checkout 2015: Results

• A total of 2,131 shopping parties paid at the

study lines during the study period:

– 1,218 at the healthy checkout – 913 at the standard checkout

• Only 4.0% of these parties (n = 85) bought

anything from the checkout area of any line in the store

– 3.8% of healthy checkout customers – 4.3% of standard customers

Healthy Checkout 2015: Results

• Of customers who bought something from

checkout, more than twice the proportion of customers using the healthy checkout bought healthy items as those using the standard checkout (56.5% vs 20.5%; P < .001)

• In contrast, relatively fewer customers using

the healthy checkout bought unhealthy items compared with those using the standard line (45.7% vs 74.4%; P = .008)

Healthy Checkout 2015: Results

• For every 100 customers going through each

line:

– 4.7 items purchased from healthy totaling $8.73 – 6.4 items purchased from standard totaling $10.16

• Healthy items were purchased at a higher rate

from the healthy line vs. the standard line

Healthy Checkout 2015: Results

Most common purchases:

Healthy:

• fresh and packaged fruit (41%; n = 17)
• chewing gum (27%; n = 11)
• nuts and trail mix (24%; n = 10)

Unhealthy:

• candy (46%; n = 31)
• Kool-Aid packets (18%; n = 12)
• Slim Jim meat sticks (15%; n = 10)

• Observation allowed for understanding of unexpected

consumer behavior/shopping patterns:

– Moving items without purchase – Purchasing items at different lines from which they were taken – Deliberate/non-impulse buys

• Ability to garner store owner support/buy-in through

relationships and incentives

Healthy Checkout 2015: Strengths

• Observational data is not the ideal methodology; future

studies could benefit from technology such as coded UPCs or store-provided cash register sales data

• Checkout lines at supermarkets in NYC, and more specifically

the Bronx, are not necessarily typical/representative of supermarkets in other locales

– Findings not generalizable; methods may need substantial adaptation

• Approach may not apply in other settings with checkout items,

such as office supply stores, clothing retail stores, etc.

Healthy Checkout 2015: Limitations

• A small percentage of customers (~4%) bought items

from checkout area

• Not necessarily generalizable to other locations or

retail types

• More robust studies on larger scale are warranted

Healthy Checkout 2015: Conclusions

• The long-term sustainability of this type of intervention

faces challenges.

– Who is responsible for stocking checkouts? 1) Stores 2) Snack Vendors

• Stores we worked with were all independently owned; it is

unknown how implementation of such an intervention would fare at a corporate-owned chain

Healthy Checkout 2015: Public Health Implications

Thanks!

Tamar Adjoian tadjoian@health.nyc.gov