Appalachian communities have lower access to healthier food sources like grocery stores. Through semi-structured interviews with owner/managers of convenience stores in Appalachian communities, this qualitative study explored perceived roles and business practices of small food retailers using a grounded theory approach. Five themes emerged including strong relationships between stores and customers, the role of the store in community, food and beverage stocking decisions, store owner/managers’ perceived demand for healthier options, and federal food assistance program participation. The themes provide insight to store owner/manager perspectives on community-focused and business-focused priorities in Appalachian convenience stores and can inform healthy retail interventions.
Appalachian Store Owners’ and Managers’ Perspectives on the Role of Their Store in the Community and in Providing Healthier Food to the Community
Published: September 2019
ID #: 74134
Journal: Ecology of Food and Nutrition
Authors: Anderson Steeves ET, McElrone M, Grier-Welch A, Zimmer MC, Daves P
Focus Areas: Food Access, Food Retail
Resource Type: Journal Article
Keywords: Community setting, Food insecurity, Grocery store, Rural, Supermarket
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