Healthy Eating Interventions in Convenience Stores and Diet-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Convenience stores are a key food source in many communities but often provide limited healthy options. This systematic review examines the impact of healthy eating interventions in convenience stores on diet-related outcomes across high-income countries. This systematic review was conducted using seven databases and gray literature sources. Eligible studies were published between January 2005 and June 2024. Eligible studies evaluated healthy eating strategies or interventions in convenience stores and reported diet-related outcomes. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD2024538968) and reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria: 20 intervention studies, four observational studies, and four gray literature reports. Interventions included changes to the availability, positioning, pricing, and signage of healthy foods. Most studies reported improvements in purchasing and consumption of healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Multicomponent approaches were most effective, particularly those that use availability, positioning, and signage strategies to concurrently incentivize healthy foods and disincentivize unhealthy foods. However, study quality varied, with many showing moderate to high risk of bias. Healthy eating strategies in convenience stores show promise for improving diet-related outcomes. The results from this review provide policy makers with evidence to justify the implementation of population-level policies that support improved availability, positioning, and signage on healthy foods in convenience store settings to improve dietary-related behaviors. Future research that uses high-quality scientific evaluation designs and cost-effectiveness assessments would further enhance the evidence base and case for policy action.