Community measures of low-fat milk consumption: Comparing store shelves with households

Objectives. This study examined the relationship between the proportion of milk in food stores that is low-far and consumption of low-fat milk in the community. Methods. Data were gathered from 503 stores across 53 New York Slate zip codes. in 19 zip codes, a telephone survey measured household low-fat milk use. Census data were obtained to examine sociodemographic predictors of the percentage of low-fat milk in stores. Results. The proportion of low-fat milk in stores was directly related to low-fat milk consumption in households and to the median income and urban level of the zip code. Conclusions. These results support using food store shelf-space observations to estimate low-fat milk consumption.