Presenting Author: Fred Shaykis, The Food Trust

ABSTRACT

Background: The Food Trust's Heart Smarts program builds on our emerging model of urban corner stores as one-stop destinations for health resources, nutrition education, and healthy food in the community. The Heart Smarts program currently provides nutrition education along with health screenings in 13 stores across low-income areas of Philadelphia.

Objectives: To characterize Philadelphia program participants and to evaluate the impact of Heart Smarts programming on participants' nutrition knowledge, nutrition self-efficacy, and sales of healthier items at participating corner stores.

Methods: Program staff collected post-lesson surveys from 360 Philadelphia participants. Point of sales (POS) data were collected from two participating Heart Smarts stores, and sales data from program days were compared to data from comparison days (the day before and after the program took place).

Results: Participants were primarily African-American (82%) and recipients of SNAP (67%). Almost half of participants were repeat Heart Smarts participants and 60% traveled less than three blocks to get to the Heart Smarts store. Survey results demonstrate that almost all participants learned something new from lessons, and that lessons increased participants' nutrition self-efficacy and intent to change what foods and drinks they purchase at the corner store. Point of Sales data revealed a significant increase in sales of fruits & vegetables on the days of Heart Smarts programming (p < .05).

Implications: he Heart Smarts program reaches traditionally hard-to-reach populations, promotes the uptake of community-based health resources, improves individual's' ability to make healthier corner store purchases, and drives demand for healthier products in corner stores.

Authors: Fred Shaykis and Yi-Ming Law.