Abstract
Abstract Objectives To examine the ads appearing in the front of a random sample of convenience stores in the greater Sacramento, California area by levels of neighborhood income. Methods A sampling frame of all convenience stores in the greater Sacramento area was developed from web-based searches. Census data were used to record the median household income of the zip code of each store, subsequently dichotomized as lower versus higher (≥ $46,083). Undergraduate students traveled to 95 randomly sampled stores to photograph all ads displayed from the front (main entrance) of the stores. Using a standardized coding sheet and instructions, trained students coded store characteristics and the content of 693 ads from the photographs. Results Chain (versus independent) stores represented 61.0% of the sample. A greater proportion of independent stores were found in lower (54.3%) versus higher (33.6%) income neighborhoods. Most (82.7%) of the products advertised were brand names, as opposed to generic (e.g., “Beer Sold Here”). Sugar-sweetened beverages represented the most frequent (21.2%) type of product advertised, followed by tobacco (20.3%), lottery (19.3%), and alcohol (17.5%). Overall, a higher proportion of alcohol ads appeared in lower-income neighborhoods. When examining the data by store type we found that, for independent stores, a higher proportion of SSB ads appeared in lower (17.8%) versus higher (10.7%) income neighborhoods. Conclusions Considering independent convenience stores, which were more likely to appear in lower-income neighborhoods, the proportion of ads for SSBs exceeded the quantity of ads that appeared in higher-income neighborhoods. A possible explanation is that the owners of independent convenience stores have greater control over the types of ads that are placed on site than do owners of chain stores. These findings may partially explain the increased consumption of alcohol and SSBs in lower-income areas. However, as with most content analyses, we cannot make valid assumptions on the effects of the content. Another limitation of our study is that it only focused on ads appearing in the front of stores. Funding Sources None.