Heterogeneities in Consumer Diet Quality and Health Outcomes of Consumers by Store Choice and Income.

Chandra K Dhakal,Savin Khadka

doi:10.3390/nu13041046

Abstract

Obesity and other diet-related health conditions have received much attention in the public health literature over the past two decades. This study investigates the relationship between household food budget shares at different food outlets with diet quality and weight-related health outcomes in the United States. Our analysis used event-level food purchase data from the national household food acquisition and purchases survey (FoodAPS). We find that, after controlling for observables, food purchase location is significantly associated with diet quality and body mass index (BMI). Our findings indicate that larger food budget shares at convenience stores and restaurants are linked with poor diet quality based on the healthy eating index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores and higher BMI. We further explored potential heterogeneity on outcomes of interest across income groups. Results suggest heterogeneous effects may exist across income groups: low-income households, who spent a larger share of their food budget at convenience stores and fast-food restaurants are related to poor diet quality and more likely to be obese. Our findings will help improve understanding of the causes of diet-related health problems and may illuminate potential avenues of intervention to address obesity.

Highlights

Obesity and other diet-related health conditions have received much focus in the public health literature over the past two decades, and for a good reason
Results suggest heterogeneous effects may exist across income groups: low-income households, who spent a larger share of their food budget at convenience stores and fast-food restaurants are related to poor diet quality and more likely to be obese
Our findings indicated that household food expenditure at different food retail outlets was associated with their diet quality and health outcomes—larger food budget shares at convenience stores and fast-food restaurants were linked to poor diet quality and higher body mass index (BMI) levels

Summary

Introduction

Obesity and other diet-related health conditions have received much focus in the public health literature over the past two decades, and for a good reason. According to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the year 2020, 43 percent of the US adult population over 20 years of age were obese, while more than two-thirds were overweight [1,2]. Only 23 percent of US adults were obese in 1988. This high incidence of obesity poses several challenges to both the US healthcare system as well as the economy. Tsai et al [3] report that the medical costs of dealing with obesity-related issues account for up to 10 percent of US healthcare spending. Individuals dealing with obesity spend 76 percent more on healthcare, on average, compared to individuals with a recommended body mass index (BMI) [4]. As such, improving our understanding of the factors that contribute to obesity and overweight is of prime importance

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion