Mapping the social context of food procurement: Identifying leverage points for disseminating healthy eating messages among a low-income population

MONTEBAN, MADALENA; COLLEEN WALSH; KIMBERLY BESS; DARCY FREEDMAN

Washington DC

Conferencia; 9th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation; 2016

National Institute of Health

Background:Diet-related behaviors are structured by both the physical and social food environment. Within the social food environment, social capital - resources, support, and information attained through social connections or ties - has important implications for health behaviors and outcomes. Little is known about the nature of social connections at food procurement places among low-income populations. Our analysis focused on social connections supporting food procurement behaviors among parents/caregivers receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Methods:A mixed-methods approach was used including participatory social network mapping and semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 parents/caregivers receiving SNAP in Cleveland, Ohio in 2015-16. Data collection focused on food procurement places and staff with whom participants hold a social connection. Two-mode social network analysis was used to examine the ties between procurement places and participants and core-periphery analysis to identify the most common food procurement places among the sample. Findings:In all, 27 types of food procurement places were identified by the 30 participants. Ten of these places were central indicating they are most frequented by participants. Most participants (70%) held a social connection with a staff person at one or more procurement place. Convenience stores and food pantries were the most socially connected food procurement places with 60% and 55% of participants, respectively, holding a relationship with staff in these venues while none of the participants held a connection with farmer?s market staff. Qualitative analysis focused on three types of social connections: purely social, information exchange, and material benefit. Purely social connections included social interactions not related to food procurement. Information exchange included identifying deals at the store or indicating how to prepare a new food item. A few social connections offered material benefits in the form of setting aside sale items or price reductions for repeat customers. Implications for D&I Research:Findings highlight social connections with staff at food procurement places may be leveraged to disseminate healthy eating messages among SNAP recipients. Changes to the physical food environment may yield limited benefit without implementation of complementary interventions to either create new or catalyze existing social capital within these food procurement spaces.