Social Inequalities in Following Official Guidelines on Healthy Diet During the Period of Economic Crisis in Spain

Abstract

In Spanish society, social inequalities continue in connection with diet; however, no data examines whether these inequalities altered during the period of economic crisis. This article aims to analyze trends in inequalities related to adherence to government guidelines concerning healthy diet during the period of economic crisis based on the data obtained from the National Health Surveys conducted by the National Statistics Institute. The approach involves studying first the data from the 2006 survey, shortly before the crisis, and then comparing these with the data from the 2011–2012 survey. Applying models of logistic regression shows that certain social inequalities were accentuated by the crisis. However, the general and widespread pattern of eating habits does not disappear in times of crisis. Inequalities are more commonly seen when socioeconomic factors affect foods that the guidelines indicate should be eaten daily. However, with respect to more expensive products, socioeconomic factors did not have so much negative effect on how far a healthy diet was followed because it is recommended that consumption of these foods should be limited. The results suggest that food policy should have specific focuses during times of economic recession.

Differences in Consumer Preferences for Lamb Meat before and during the Economic Crisis in Spain. Analysis and Perspectives

“…It is worth noting that occasional lamb consumption increased between 2004 and 2014, perhaps as a result of the higher price of this meat relative to possible substitutes, its aspect, and also its traditional association with consumption on special occasions or festivities, as suggested by Blasco, et al [ 48 ], all within a setting of reduced lamb meat consumption in the EU [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 8 ]. The results corroborate those of Díaz-Méndez and García-Espejo [ 34 ], who concluded that, in times of crisis, high-priced products and those for which medical guidelines recommend reduced intake (as is the case of lamb meat) suffer a notable reduction in consumption. Some other factors, such as the shifting from the consumption of red meat towards healthier white meat [ 6 , 7 ] can be also partially responsible for this reduction in the consumption of lamb meat.…”

“…In a study conducted in Spain, Díaz-Méndez and García-Espejo [ 34 ] found that during the 2007–2017 economic crisis the consumption gap converged downwards, regardless of income, in the case of the most expensive products and those for which medical guidelines recommend reduced intake.…”

“…The 2007–2017 economic crisis in Spain had a major impact on consumer behaviors [ 30 ], with meat consumption declining significantly [ 34 ]. However, there is a lack of information about the specific impact on the relative importance of the attributes that form consumer preferences products.…”

Updating the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for the Spanish Population: The Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) Proposal

“…The recommendations tried to avoid creating dietary advice that people could perceive as a limitation or imposition on individual freedom of choice or in disagreement with the cultural context [49,50,51]. This is a proposal for a comfortable path that contributes to building healthier and more sustainable food patterns [49,52] and recovering a traditional diet closer to the Mediterranean diet—a dietary pattern culturally sensible and affordable for many people in the country [53,54,55], although supportive policies for implementation that consider inequalities will be required. The Mediterranean diet can be considered as the most studied and well-known dietary pattern in the world [56].…”

Impacts of the 2008 Great Recession on dietary intake: a systematic review

“…Sixteen studies investigated intake of sources of proteins (26,29,30,37,38,41,45,47,48,50,53,54,60,61,64,65). While most studies examined consumption of protein sources separately, share of calories from poultry and sh increased while calories from red meat and nuts decreased in the UK (47).…”