Korean‐American merchants’ perceptions, main barriers, and motivators related to implementing a nutrition program in Baltimore City

There are over 25,000 Korean American food stores in the U.S, most in low‐income urban communities, making them a potential venue for nutrition interventions. However, such programs should be perceived to be feasible by storeowners. As part of the data collection for a store‐based intervention (Baltimore Healthy Stores), we examined motivators and barriers to the program participation and implementation, and perceived effectiveness of the intervention. In‐depth interviews with seven corner storeowners were conducted during the intervention. Detailed field notes by interventionists during the 10 month trial were also used to explore how the program was implemented at each store. A follow‐up survey with store owners was conducted to evaluate sustainability of the program. Stores were differentiated by ‘active involvement into activities’, ‘compliance with intervention protocol’ and ‘overall supportive atmosphere’. Stores which showed strong supports for the program by providing high traffic locations for interventionists, encouraging customers to participate in activities, and having good relationships with interventionists were more likely to perceive the program to be feasible leading to more sustainable promoted food stocks compared to the stores which showed weak support for the program. These findings could be used to develop successful corner store based nutrition interventions in urban communities. Funded by USDA/FANRP and the Center for a Livable Future.