Impact Food Pricing has on the Diet Quality of Low-Income Households in the U.S.

Abstract

Investigation about food pricing is essential when researching the dietary quality of low income American households. There is a strong positive correlation between a more nutrient dense diet and higher costs. There is also a positive association between a less nutrient dense diet and lower costs. To investigate these topics, numerous tools are utilized to assess diet quality. Some of the most common are the Healthy Eating Index, Food Frequency Questionnaire, and 24 Hour Dietary Recall. In addition, possible associations between diet quality and health outcomes, diet quality and price, and diet quality and low income households have been investigated. It’s shown that there has been an increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetic trends. This has shown to be connected to diet quality as diet quality is negatively associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is also why low income households are especially at risk for type 2 diabetes. Low income households are shown to have low diet quality and households with higher incomes have shown to have a correlation with a high, more nutrient dense diet. It is important to note that food pricing may not be the only factor in poor diets and impact on low income households in the US. Factors like food deserts and insecurity should also be investigated and require further research. Investigating all factors of poor diet quality is important so that we can identify sources of inequity within our food systems, and improve diet quality for all Americans.