How income and food prices influence global dietary intakes by age and sex: evidence from 164 countries

Abstract

BackgroundWhile income and prices are key drivers of dietary choices, how their influence varies by food category, nation, and demographics is not well established. Based on intake data for 164 countries and 11 food categories, we examined how income and food prices relate to food intake globally, including by world region, age, and sex.MethodsWe used 2010 intake data from the Global Dietary Database, the first database of consumption estimates for major food categories by country, age, and sex. We combined these data with national per capita GDP and food price data. We estimated intake responsiveness to income and prices for each food category, accounting for differences by national income, world region, age, and sex.ResultsWe identified several differences in intake responsiveness. For example, rising income was estimated to increase milk intake most strongly in Sub-Saharan Africa and fruit intake most strongly among older women globally. Comparing our intake results to previous findings based on expenditure data, we found more goods that exhibited declining intake in response to rising incomes, fewer significant relationships for a number of food categories, particularly for higher income regions, and whereas in prior studies, elasticities mostly decrease with national income, we identified food categories where this was not the case.ConclusionThe results of this study show heterogeneous associations among income, prices, and food intakes. Policymakers should consider the price and income elasticities of certain foods, as well as the role of demographics within and across countries, as they address global nutrition and health challenges.

Explaining Income-Related Inequalities in Dietary Knowledge: Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

“…Apart from the higher prevalence of unhealthy diet intake, it was noted that the unhealthy diet is distributed unequally among the different socioeconomic groups. The unhealthy diet is disproportionately concentrated on the poor and low-income individuals [6,7]. For many people, the direct culprit has long been the traditional Chinese diet.…”

Fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in Namibia: analysis of a nationally representative population

“…In the multivariable analysis household poor wealth status was found to be strongly associated with lower consumption of F&V. Another factor might be the rising income levels among the wealthy communities which has been shown to be associated with increasing consumption of meat and dairy products. 24 - 26 However, this aspect of low F&V consumption behavior is beyond the scope of the present study and needs to be explored by future studies.…”

Rural development and shifts in household dietary practices from 1999 to 2010 in the Tapajós River region, Brazilian Amazon: empirical evidence from dietary surveys

“…New income sources and employment opportunities that increase household purchasing power are likely to have contributed to the observed changes in diet. With higher per-capita revenue, families are able to buy more varieties of food and consume more food overall [34]. Among study participants, national poverty alleviation programs (Bolsa Familia, Bolsa Pesca) and rural retirement plans implemented in the early 2000s, became important sources of supplementary income, sometimes doubling revenue of poor households [21].…”

“…Another limitation is related to the fact that data was collected at the household level and not the individual level. Food consumption patterns are known to differ according to age and gender [34], so we cannot assume that the changes observed in this study apply to all household members. For example, previous studies in communities experiencing a nutrition transition showed that younger people tended to consume more processed foods and less traditional foods compared to older people [28].…”