Development of a survey tool to assess the environmental determinants of health-enabling food retail practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of remote Australia

• Published in: BMC public health 2024-02, Vol.24 (1), p.442-14, Article 442
• Main Authors: van Burgel, Emma, Fairweather, Molly, Hill, Amanda, Christian, Meaghan, Ferguson, Megan, Lee, Amanda, Funston, Sarah, Fredericks, Bronwyn, McMahon, Emma, Pollard, Christina, Brimblecombe, Julie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aboriginal; Australia - epidemiology; Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; Best practice; Cross-Sectional Studies; Environment and public health; Environmental assessment; Environmental factors; Environmental impact; Food - economics; Food Insecurity - economics; Food retail; Food security; Food supply; Health care; Health Services, Indigenous; Humans; Indigenous; Indigenous peoples; Influence; Local food systems; Medical research; Native peoples; Nutritionists; Polls & surveys; Public health; Questions; Remote store; Rural Population; Supply chains; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17945-9

Environmental factors can impact the ability of food retail businesses to implement best practice health-enabling food retail. We co-designed a short-item survey on factors influencing food retail health-enabling practice in a remote Australian setting. Publicly available submissions to an Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into food pricing and food security in remote Indigenous communities were coded using an existing remote community food systems assessment tool and thematically analysed. Themes informed survey questions that were then prioritised, refined and pre-tested with expert stakeholder input. One-hundred and eleven submissions were coded, and 100 themes identified. Supply chain related data produced the most themes (n = 25). The resulting 26-item survey comprised questions to assess the perceived impact of environmental factors on a store's health-enabling practice (n = 20) and frequency of occurrence (n = 6). The application of this evidence-informed, co-designed survey will provide a first-time cross-sectional analysis and the potential for ongoing longitudinal data and advocacy on how environmental factors affect the operations of remote stores.