Project:The Availability and Variety of Healthful Foods at Convenience Stores and Trading Posts on the Navajo Reservation
Year: 1999
Research Center: American Indian Studies Program, The University of Arizona
Investigator: Bauer, Mark, Marvin Shorty, Emmanual Agbolooso, and Shirley L. Pareo-Tubbeh
Institution: Diné College
Project Contact:mcbauer@shiprock.ncc.cc.nm.us
Summary:
A basic assumption of health and nutrition education
programs is that the foods being promoted will be
available. On the Navajo reservation, where the nearest
source for groceries may be a trading post or convenience
store, this assumption may not be valid. To
test this assumption, Diné Tribal College staff and students,
in partnership with the University of New
Mexico, developed and administered a 69-item food
inventory at rural trading posts and convenience stores
across the three States encompassing the Navajo reservation.
The food inventory included only “healthful
foods” such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products,
and lean meat. Interviewers asked store managers
open-ended questions about the stores’ primary
customers and foods most commonly sold. The sample
included a total of 48 stores, with one large grocery
store for comparison. Individual foods were combined
into broad food categories.
The authors used analysis of variance to determine differences
in food categories by State, type, and distance
of store from a major grocery store. Seventy-five percent
of store owners reported that local people were
their primary customers, and 53 percent reported that
“junk food” was the food most commonly sold, while
19 percent reported staples as the foods most commonly
sold. All but five stores had at least one fresh fruit
or vegetable available; the mean number of these items
available was nine. Only 4 stores had 1-percent milk,
and only 6 stores had skim milk available. Ninety percent
of the stores accepted WIC stamps, and these
stores had whole grain cereals, fruit juices, and low-fat
string cheese available. There were no differences in
food availability by type of store or distance from a
major grocery store. However, the number of fresh
fruits and vegetables and total variety differed significantly
across States. Their results show that the number
of healthful foods available throughout the reservation
is limited, and that store owners would stock more
of such foods if they were demanded.
