@article{ajfn2014221,
author={{Norman, Mackenzie and Hoffmann, Jordan and Cheskin, Lawrence J.},
title={Shelf Space Devoted to Nutritious Foods Correlates with BMI},
journal={American Journal of Food and Nutrition},
volume={2},
number={2},
pages={18--22},
year={2014},
url={http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfn/2/2/1},
abstract={Obesity continues to be a threat to global health. The goal of this study was to examine the correlation between shelf space devoted to various categories of food and BMI in a variety of nations. A total of 121 supermarkets in 10 different countries were evaluated by taking linear measurements of shelf space devoted to 8 categories of foods, and assessing whether there was any relationship to mean population BMI. Trends were detected for the following food categories: 1. higher percent shelf space devoted to fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, canned vegetables, and canned fruit were all associated with a lower national BMI; 2. higher percent shelf space devoted to cereals/pastas/grains/bread, junk food and dairy showed a trend to higher national BMI. Percent supermarket shelf space devoted to healthful foods across 10 different countries correlated with lower BMI ranking by WHO statistics; percent shelf space of grains, dairy and junk food was different for each country and showed a positive trend with BMI. Supermarket shelf space use can offer insight into a country¡¯s BMI, and represents a potential intervention avenue for positive health impact. Further work is needed to confirm this correlation in other nations, regions, and socioeconomic and demographic categories within nations.},
doi={10.12691/ajfn-2-2-1}
publisher={Science and Education Publishing}
}