Piloting Market Food Environment Assessments in LMICs: A Feasibility Assessment and Lessons Learned

Shauna Downs; Teresa Warne; Sarah McClung; Chris Vogliano; Noni Alexander; Gina Kennedy; Selena Ahmed; Jennifer Crum

doi:10.1177/03795721241296185

Piloting Market Food Environment Assessments in LMICs: A Feasibility Assessment and Lessons Learned

Shauna Downs, Teresa Warne, Sarah McClung, Chris Vogliano, Noni Alexander, Gina Kennedy, Selena Ahmed, Jennifer Crum

School of Public Health, Health Systems

Rutgers, The State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Background: Food environments are rapidly changing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to dietary shifts. Many gaps exist in the measurement of food environments in LMICs making it difficult to characterize the linkages between food environments and diets. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of implementing USAID Advancing Nutrition's Market Food Environment Assessment (MFEA)—a suite of 7 non-resource intensive food environment assessments. Methods: We implemented the MFEA package in 4 countries (Liberia, Honduras, Nigeria, and Timor-Leste) and assessed the feasibility of implementing the package by conducting a descriptive analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data of enumerators’ feedback collected through training evaluations, feedback forms, detailed notes from meetings, and final reports from in-country partners. Results: Overall, we found it feasible to implement the MFEA, some assessments being easier to implement and more practical than others. Several key themes related to the MFEA implementation were identified across the countries, including: the potential for vendors to be hesitant to engage in assessments; the importance of ascertaining buy-in from local officials; the need to shift toward electronic, rather than paper-based, data collection; difficulties in selecting markets; the time constraints of conducting some of the assessments; and the need for better alignment between the instructions, data collection, and data analysis sheets. Conclusions: The package of food environment assessments, with minimal additional refinement, can be used to characterize market food environments in LMIC settings to inform context-specific interventions.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	125-141
Number of pages	17
Journal	Food and Nutrition Bulletin
Volume	45
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/03795721241296185
State	Published - Dec 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Food Science
Geography, Planning and Development
Nutrition and Dietetics

Keywords

assessments
food environment
low- and middle-income countries
methods

Access to Document

10.1177/03795721241296185

Cite this

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title = "Piloting Market Food Environment Assessments in LMICs: A Feasibility Assessment and Lessons Learned",

abstract = "Background: Food environments are rapidly changing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to dietary shifts. Many gaps exist in the measurement of food environments in LMICs making it difficult to characterize the linkages between food environments and diets. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of implementing USAID Advancing Nutrition's Market Food Environment Assessment (MFEA)—a suite of 7 non-resource intensive food environment assessments. Methods: We implemented the MFEA package in 4 countries (Liberia, Honduras, Nigeria, and Timor-Leste) and assessed the feasibility of implementing the package by conducting a descriptive analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data of enumerators{\textquoteright} feedback collected through training evaluations, feedback forms, detailed notes from meetings, and final reports from in-country partners. Results: Overall, we found it feasible to implement the MFEA, some assessments being easier to implement and more practical than others. Several key themes related to the MFEA implementation were identified across the countries, including: the potential for vendors to be hesitant to engage in assessments; the importance of ascertaining buy-in from local officials; the need to shift toward electronic, rather than paper-based, data collection; difficulties in selecting markets; the time constraints of conducting some of the assessments; and the need for better alignment between the instructions, data collection, and data analysis sheets. Conclusions: The package of food environment assessments, with minimal additional refinement, can be used to characterize market food environments in LMIC settings to inform context-specific interventions.",

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author = "Shauna Downs and Teresa Warne and Sarah McClung and Chris Vogliano and Noni Alexander and Gina Kennedy and Selena Ahmed and Jennifer Crum",

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AU - Downs, Shauna

AU - Warne, Teresa

AU - McClung, Sarah

AU - Vogliano, Chris

AU - Alexander, Noni

AU - Kennedy, Gina

AU - Ahmed, Selena

AU - Crum, Jennifer

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.

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N2 - Background: Food environments are rapidly changing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to dietary shifts. Many gaps exist in the measurement of food environments in LMICs making it difficult to characterize the linkages between food environments and diets. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of implementing USAID Advancing Nutrition's Market Food Environment Assessment (MFEA)—a suite of 7 non-resource intensive food environment assessments. Methods: We implemented the MFEA package in 4 countries (Liberia, Honduras, Nigeria, and Timor-Leste) and assessed the feasibility of implementing the package by conducting a descriptive analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data of enumerators’ feedback collected through training evaluations, feedback forms, detailed notes from meetings, and final reports from in-country partners. Results: Overall, we found it feasible to implement the MFEA, some assessments being easier to implement and more practical than others. Several key themes related to the MFEA implementation were identified across the countries, including: the potential for vendors to be hesitant to engage in assessments; the importance of ascertaining buy-in from local officials; the need to shift toward electronic, rather than paper-based, data collection; difficulties in selecting markets; the time constraints of conducting some of the assessments; and the need for better alignment between the instructions, data collection, and data analysis sheets. Conclusions: The package of food environment assessments, with minimal additional refinement, can be used to characterize market food environments in LMIC settings to inform context-specific interventions.

AB - Background: Food environments are rapidly changing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to dietary shifts. Many gaps exist in the measurement of food environments in LMICs making it difficult to characterize the linkages between food environments and diets. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of implementing USAID Advancing Nutrition's Market Food Environment Assessment (MFEA)—a suite of 7 non-resource intensive food environment assessments. Methods: We implemented the MFEA package in 4 countries (Liberia, Honduras, Nigeria, and Timor-Leste) and assessed the feasibility of implementing the package by conducting a descriptive analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data of enumerators’ feedback collected through training evaluations, feedback forms, detailed notes from meetings, and final reports from in-country partners. Results: Overall, we found it feasible to implement the MFEA, some assessments being easier to implement and more practical than others. Several key themes related to the MFEA implementation were identified across the countries, including: the potential for vendors to be hesitant to engage in assessments; the importance of ascertaining buy-in from local officials; the need to shift toward electronic, rather than paper-based, data collection; difficulties in selecting markets; the time constraints of conducting some of the assessments; and the need for better alignment between the instructions, data collection, and data analysis sheets. Conclusions: The package of food environment assessments, with minimal additional refinement, can be used to characterize market food environments in LMIC settings to inform context-specific interventions.

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Piloting Market Food Environment Assessments in LMICs: A Feasibility Assessment and Lessons Learned

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

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