ArticleThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2017
Indicators of the relative availability of healthy versus unhealthy foods in supermarkets: a validation study.
Article in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed.
- Benchmarking for continuous improvement in food retail environments: a systematic scoping review.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Commentary: Availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in modern retail outlets located in selected districts of Greater Accra Region, Ghana.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Evaluation of Food Retail Policies Implementation in China Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Consumer nutrition environment measurements for nutrient-dense food availability and food sustainability: a scoping review.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- Indices/Indicators Developed to Evaluate the "Creating Supportive Environments" Mechanism of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: A Setting-Based Review on Healthy Environment Indices/ Indicators.Korean journal of family medicine · 2023Article
- Unhealthy food availability, prominence and promotion in a representative sample of supermarkets in Flanders (Belgium): a detailed assessment.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2023Article
- Supermarket promotions in Western Sweden are incompatible with Nordic dietary recommendations and differ by area-level socioeconomic index.BMC public health · 2023Article
- The CIVISANO protocol: a mixed-method study about the role of objective and perceived environmental factors on physical activity and eating behavior among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2022Article
- Identifying Opportunities for Strategic Policy Design to Address the Double Burden of Malnutrition through Healthier Retail Food: Protocol for South East Asia Obesogenic Food Environment (SEAOFE) Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in modern retail outlets located in selected districts of Greater Accra Region, Ghana.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- A Proposed Research Agenda for Promoting Healthy Retail Food Environments in the East Asia-Pacific Region.Current nutrition reports · 2021Review
- Article
- Development and Application of Healthiness Indicators for Commercial Establishments That Sell Foods for Immediate Consumption.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Demographic, Anthropometric and Food Behavior Data towards Healthy Eating in Romania.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Availability and placement of healthy and discretionary food in Australian supermarkets by chain and level of socio-economic disadvantage.Public health nutrition · 2021Article
- Urban Retail Food Environments: Relative Availability and Prominence of Exhibition of Healthy vs. Unhealthy Foods at Supermarkets in Buenos Aires, Argentina.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The Healthiness of Food and Beverages on Price Promotion at Promotional Displays: A Cross-Sectional Audit of Australian Supermarkets.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Front-of-pack nutrition labelling in the European region: identifying what works for governments and consumers.Public health nutrition · 2019Review
- Spatial Association of Food Sales in Supermarkets with the Mean BMI of Young Men: An Ecological Study.Nutrients · 2019Article
- Towards healthier supermarkets: a national study of in-store food availability, prominence and promotions in New Zealand.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn-store availability of healthy and unhealthy foods may influence consumer purchases. Methods used to measure food availability, however, vary widely. A simple, valid, and reliable indicator to collect comparable data on in-store food availability is needed.
methodsCumulative linear shelf length of and variety within 22 healthy and 28 unhealthy food groups, determined based on a comparison of three nutrient profiling systems, were measured in 15 New Zealand supermarkets. Inter-rater reliability was tested in one supermarket by a second researcher. The construct validity of five simple indicators of relative availability of healthy versus unhealthy foods was assessed against this 'gold standard'.
resultsCumulative linear shelf length was a more sensitive and feasible measure of food availability than variety. Four out of five shelf length ratio indicators were significantly associated with the gold standard (ρ = 0.70-0.75). Based on a non-significant difference from the 'gold standard' (d = 0.053 ± 0.040) and feasibility, the ratio of cumulative linear shelf length of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables versus soft and energy drinks, crisps and snacks, sweet biscuits and confectionery performed best for use in New Zealand supermarkets.
conclusionsFour out of the five shelf length ratio indicators of the relative availability of healthy versus unhealthy foods in-store tested could be used for future research and monitoring, but additional validation studies in other settings and countries are recommended. Consistent use of those shelf length ratio indicators could enhance comparability of supermarket food availability between studies, and help inform policies to create healthy consumer food retail environments.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.