Socio-economic disparities in food purchasing patterns among Canadian households: Implications for food policy.
Published: 2006
Language: eng
Number of pages: 131
ISBN-13: 9780494219959
Description: Market-based interventions to improve diets in the population have been the focus of some recent developments in Canadian food policy, but their impact on different population subgroups is not well understood. The goal of this research was to characterize the food purchasing patterns of Canadian households in relation to socio-economic factors through analyses of data from Statistics Canada's Family Food Expenditure Surveys (FOODEX). An analysis of data from the 1996 FOODEX revealed that income and education have independent effects on food selection. Higher income and higher education (particularly a university degree) were both associated with selecting a more nutritious array of foods. Income thresholds, below which food purchasing appeared to be severely constrained, were apparent for several food groups, and an income gradient was observed for vegetables and fruit indicating the impact of income on this food group is similar across the income spectrum. An examination of trends over time (1986-2001), using data from four different waves of FOODEX, revealed income-related disparities in the nutritional quality of food selections that have persisted over time and, in some cases, widened. One notable exception to these trends was the nutrient folate. The positive income gradient in folate (independent of energy) observed in the time periods prior to mandatory folic acid fortification was no longer apparent in 2001, post-fortification. The insights gained from the aforementioned analyses were applied to a current policy issue: the reduction of trans fats in the Canadian food supply. In an analysis of data from the 2001 FOODEX, a higher income was associated with paying a higher price for foods that are major sources of trans fat. These findings raise concerns about the effectiveness of current interventions based on voluntary measures by food manufacturers, given the literature suggesting that such measures are likely to be restricted to higher priced products. This research importantly adds to our limited knowledge of Canadian food consumption patterns, providing insight into the potential impact of some recent changes in food policy on food consumption patterns, and highlighting the need to monitor the impacts of food policy on different population subgroups.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-01, Section: B, page: 0218.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2006.

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