Observing the Differences of Obesity Pattern and Food Choices between Supermarket and Public Market Consumers in Kandy District, Sri Lanka

Food systems, both traditional and modern, are fundamentally connected to the health and subsistence of society. Furthermore, there are concerns that increase in per capita income, urbanization, and supermarket penetration in developing countries may contribute to an “obesogenic” diet transition, particularly increasing the consumption of energy-dense processed food at the expense of fresh fruits and vegetables and grains. Aim of this study was to observing the differences of obesity pattern and food choices between supermarket and public market consumers in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. Data were collected from individuals who do shop at supermarkets (n=214) and public market (n=124) during three hours of time. The goods packs of participants those who provided the consent, was assessed by using a check list. Weight and height measurements were taken using standard methods. SPSS 16 version was used to analyze the data. Mean age of supermarket and public market visitors were 45±13.9 years (CI=95%)and 49.5±13.8 years (CI=95%). 165 females (73.7%) were in the supermarket group whilst 84 females (67.7 %) were in the public market group. 77.2% supermarket visitors and 67.7% public market visitors were regular customers. Vegetable and fruit content of the supermarket users were 35.7% and 29% respectively, whereas 81.5% and 50.8% of public market users had vegetables and fruits in their good packs. Availability of carbohydrate rich foods in the supermarket and public market were 61.6% and 62.1% respectively. In terms of availability of processed meat products, supermarket and public market users were 40.6% and 17.7%. Mean BMI of the supermarket and public market group was 25.4 Kgm-2 (SD 4.07) and 24.1 Kgm-2 (SD 4.6) respectively. 30.9 % of the supermarket users were obese whilst 18.6 % of public market users were obese. Compared to the public market users, supermarket customers are more likely to hold more unhealthy food and lesser amount of vegetables and fruits in their goods pack