Development and Validation of a Simple Convenience Store SHELF Audit

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2018-11, Vol.15 (12), p.2676
• Main Authors: Horacek, Tanya M, Yildirim, Elif Dede, Kelly, Erin, White, Adrienne A, Shelnutt, Karla P, Riggsbee, Kristin, Olfert, Melissa D, Morrell, Jesse Stabile, Mathews, Anne E, Mosby, Terezie T, Kidd, Tandalayo, Kattelmann, Kendra, Greene, Geoffrey, Franzen-Castle, Lisa, Colby, Sarah, Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol, Brown, Onikia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Audits; Chain stores; College campuses; Commerce - standards; Convenience stores; Costs and Cost Analysis; Dairy Products; Data collection; Drug stores; Environment; Factor analysis; Food; Food conversion; Food Supply - standards; Frozen food; Frozen foods; Fruit; Fruits; Health care; Humans; Meals; Nutrition; Population; Reproducibility of Results; Researchers; Semantics; Staples; Statistical analysis; Stores; Variance analysis; Vegetables
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15122676

This paper describes the development, reliability, and convergent validity of a practical tool-the Convenience Store Supportive Healthy Environment for Life-Promoting Food (SHELF) Audit. Audit items included: a variety of fresh, processed, and frozen fruits and vegetables; low-fat dairy products; healthy staples and frozen meals; healthy food incentive programs; items sold in check-out areas; portion/cup sizes; and pricing. Each audit item was scored using a five-point semantic-differential scale (1 = provides little or no support for healthful foods to 5 = provides high support for healthful foods). Convergent validity was examined by comparing the SHELF audit to Ghirardelli et al. and Laska et al. store audits. Statistical analysis included: Factor analysis, ANOVA, and Spearman correlations. SHELF included three factors: a Fruits/Vegetables scale (eight items, α = 0.79; total potential points = 34); a Healthy Foods scale (four items, α = 0.72; total potential points = 16); and a Supports scale (four items, α = 0.685; total potential points = 16). Only 6% of the 124 convenience stores assessed scored in the most healthful range (46⁻66). The assessed drug stores ( = 15) scored higher than convenience stores ( = 81) on the Healthy Foods and Supports scales but not the Fruits/Vegetables scale. The SHELF sub-scores were highly correlated with other audit tools indicating convergent validity. The SHELF convenience store audit is a valid, reliable tool for assessing the degree to which convenience stores support healthfulness regarding Fruits/Vegetables, Healthy Foods, and Supports for choosing healthy.