The Value of Our Health

El Valor de Nuestra Salud [The Value of Our Health] is a 5-year study (2010-2014) involving grocery stores in San Diego County funded by the National Cancer Institute. The purpose of the study is to determine whether an in-store program can promote healthy foods through grocery stores. Sixteen stores in San Diego County participated in El Valor de Nuestra Salud. The stores that participated in this study were randomly assigned to either the intervention (program and evaluation) or control (evaluation only) group. We tested various strategies to promote healthy food shopping among customers of small-to-medium size Latino/Hispanic grocery stores. These strategies included changes to the store environment, food marketing efforts, and training of sales associates. Our evaluation protocol is designed to determine whether the project was successful at improving aspects of the store and the employees, as well as whether customers shop for and eat healthier food products. Customers were recruited as they enter the store to participate in project interviews and objective weight measures at baseline, 6-months post-baseline, and 12-months post-baseline. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of the El Valor de Nuestra Salud intervention on consumption of fruits and vegetables among store customers.

Inclusion criteria

• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be one of the main food shoppers of the household
• Must shop at study store at least once per week
• Must already be a purchaser of food products from this store
• Must be Latino
• Must speak Spanish and/or English
• Must be able to read in Spanish
• Must eat 4 or less cups of fruits and vegetables per day
• Must plan on living in San Diego County for at least the next 12 months

Exclusion criteria

• Must not have any dietary restrictions limiting consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Participating customers cannot shop at other study stores in that wave more than once a month
• Participating customers cannot shop at intervention stores from previous waves more than once a month