Groceries
The major social factor that impacts what groceries are purchased is the amount of income. In New York City, 17.9 percent of people live in poverty, and the median income equals $39,828/year that is more than $5,000 higher than the average annual income across the US (United States Census Bureau, 2019). Besides, various grocery stores are located within walking distance. From this, it could be inferred that most people who live in my community could afford to purchase healthy food and eat a diverse diet. They have money to buy organic products and fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish instead of eating processed food, frozen food, or junk food.
Another social factor that determines the choice of groceries is the trends promoted through social media. More precisely, ten years ago, it was trendy to be skinny, whereas currently, the body-positive movement has become immensely widespread and influential. Therefore, when a teenager or an adult comes to a grocery store, he or she remembers that no one would condemn him or her for being overweight and, hence, this person has more motivation to purchase a bottle of soda and chips for lunch instead of a plate of salad or some main course. I have noticed that the majority of my friends prefer unhealthy sweet snacks to fresh fruits and vegetables even though they do not lack money.
A community health nurse (CHN) could use such intervention category from the Public Health Intervention Wheel as health teaching to address areas of food security. From this perspective, a CHN could share information on how important it is not to waste food, take food consciously, and control the quality and amount of consumed groceries. In addition to that, health teaching is a way to target the issue of food security at the systems level and train physicians and other specialists on how to stimulate the members of the community to shift towards a healthier diet, including people who cannot afford to spend too much money on food.
Reference
United States Census Bureau (2019). QuickFacts: New York City, New York; United States. Web.