The effect of changes in visibility and price on fruit purchasing at a university cafeteria in Lima, Peru

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of increasing fruit visibility, adding information and lowering price on fruit purchasing at a university cafeteria in Lima, Peru.

Design: Quasi-experimental pilot study of a three-phase stepped intervention. In Phase 1, fruit was displayed >3 m from the point of purchase with no additional information. Phase 2 consisted in displaying the fruit near the point of purchase with added health and price information. Phase 3 added a 33% price reduction. The duration of each phase was 3 weeks and phases were separated by 2-week breaks. Primary outcomes were total pieces of fruit and number of meals sold daily.

Setting: A university cafeteria in Lima, Peru.

Subjects: Approximately 150 people, students and non-student adults, who purchased food daily. Twelve students participated in post-intervention interviews.

Results: Fruit purchasing doubled from Phase 1 to Phase 3 (P<0·01) and remained significant after adjusting for the number of meals sold daily (P<0·05). There was no evidence of a difference in fruit sold between the other phases. Females purchased 100% of the fruit in Phase 1, 82% in Phase 2 and 67% in Phase 3 (P<0·01). Males increased their purchasing significantly between Phase 1 and 3 (P<0·01). Non-student adults purchased more fruit with each phase (P<0·05) whereas students did not. Qualitatively, the most common reason for not purchasing fruit was a marked preference to buy unhealthy snack foods.

Conclusions: Promoting fruit consumption by product placement close to the point of purchase, adding health information and price reduction had a positive effect on fruit purchasing in a university cafeteria, especially in males and non-student adults.

Keywords: Food accessibility; Fruit; Health promotion; Price.

Fig. 1

(colour online) Fruit location in Phase 1

Fig. 2

(colour online) Fruit location near the point of purchase in Phase 2 and Phase 3

Fig. 3

(colour online) Message in the covered container and on posters in (a) Phase 2 and (b) Phase 3

Fig. 4

Total number of meals sold daily (——) and total pieces of whole fruit sold daily () over time during the three-phase stepped intervention on fruit purchasing in a university cafeteria, Lima, Peru

Fig. 5

Total fruit purchased overall, by sex and by age group in each experimental phase (, Phase 1; , Phase 2; , Phase 3) during the three-phase stepped intervention on fruit purchasing in a university cafeteria, Lima, Peru