The use of tax credits and other incentives is an increasingly looked-to approach to change food environments. Policies are being considered across the U.S. This project will evaluate the impact of New York City’s use of tax and zoning incentives to encourage the building of supermarkets in the highest need areas of the city. This natural experiment will be evaluated using a difference-in-difference study design. Parent intercept surveys (n=800) will be conducted before the new supermarket is introduced in: (a) the community in the Bronx where the new supermarket is to be built, and (b) a comparison community. After the supermarket is built, these parents will also complete a follow-up telephone survey. Overall, the study will assess changes in children’s fruit, vegetable and snack consumption, and parents’ shopping patterns. The long-term goal of this project is to help inform other cities and states as they implement their own programs to introduce supermarkets in high need areas.
Start Date: October 2010
ID #: 68236
Principal Investigator: Brian Elbel, PhD, MPH
Co-Principal Investigator: Tod Mijanovich, PhD
Organization: New York University School of Medicine
Funding Round: Rapid-Response Round 3
Age Groups: Adults and Families, Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Keywords: Community setting, Food outlet, Fruits and vegetables, Healthy food financing, Neighborhood, Snacks, Supermarket, Taxes, Zoning
Focus Areas: Food Access, Food Retail, Pricing & Economics
Resource Type: Grant Summary
Race/Ethnicity: Multi-racial/ethnic
State: New York
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