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Title: WHOLE GRAIN FOOD PRODUCT AVAILABILITY IN THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI DELTA AND THE 2005 DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS

Author
item Staggs, Cathleen
item McCabe Sellers, Beverly
item YADRICK, M - DELTA NIRI
item GOSSETT, JEFFREY - DELTA NIRI
item Bogle, Margaret

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/29/2005
Publication Date: 8/1/2005
Citation: Staggs, C.G., McCabe Sellers, B.J., Yadrick, M.K., Gossett, J., Bogle, M.L. 2005. Whole grain food product availability in the Lower Mississippi Delta and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans [abstract]. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 105(8):60(Suppl.1).

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: LEARNING OUTCOME: To assess the availability of whole grain products in rural food stores. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends scientifically based eating patterns for lowering chronic disease risk and promoting health. A key message is to make wise foods choices including choosing whole grain food products. Diets rich in dietary fiber have been strongly associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Any recommendation to increase the consumption of whole grain food products needs to consider the availability of these products. Food availability was studied in 18 counties of the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD), a high poverty region with rates of chronic disease among the highest in the U.S. The Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative (NIRI) surveyed 225 food stores in the LMD region of Arkansas (77), Mississippi (90), and Louisiana (58). The main purpose of this Food Store Survey (FSS) was to assess the food environment and provide a baseline assessment of food availability in the LMD. Whole grain bread, oatmeal, and toasted oats were the whole grain food products found in the survey. Oatmeal, the most available whole grain product, was found in less than half (49%) of the stores. Whole wheat bread was available in only 23% and toasted oats was available in only 37% of the stores surveyed. Without a change in availability, the likelihood of this population purchasing whole grain products is small. Decreasing the prevalence of chronic disease and making healthier food choices are significant public health campaigns that must include improving food availability in the rural South.