| Abstract: |
Food insecurity (FI), is defined as unreliable access to healthy and
nutritious food, and is a major health concern in higher-income countries,
primarily due to its association with an increased risk of obesity. Adherence
to healthy eating recommendations promotes both a healthier and more
environmentally sustainable diet. Supermarket-based interventions may
influence population-level food purchasing behaviour, an antecedent to
consumption, however, it is unclear whether there are specific characteristics
that supermarket-based interventions should employ to resonate with vulnerable
groups. This scoping review aimed to explore the characteristics of
supermarket-based interventions that sought to support healthier and/or more
environmentally sustainable food purchasing for people living with obesity and
overweight (PLWO/Ow) and/or FI. A systematic literature search identified 35
studies, representing 43 interventions, eligible for inclusion. Most
interventions focused on supporting the purchase of healthy food items, with
three aimed at increasing the purchase of plant-based foods. No study applied
a validated measure of FI. Area-level demographic data were used to identify
FI related characteristics (i.e., area of low income, low socio-economic
status) and in some cases, those living with obesity. Interventions utilised
the behaviour change levers of price (n=8), promotion (n=2), placement (n=7),
nudges (n=4) and education (n=2), or a combination of these (n=20). High
heterogeneity in the way behavioural change levers were operationalised and
combined, alongside the use of proxy measures to identify FI and PLWO/Ow,
presents a challenge for determining intervention characteristics which best
support changes in purchasing patterns in favour of heathy, sustainable food
items in this population. |