Restaurant outlet density and the healthfulness of food purchases: evidence from FoodAPS

Introduction

The average American household's diet and food purchasing patterns are out of sync with federal recommendations. Researchers have connected this with the large and growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related ailments in the U.S. Restaurant food has been discussed a potential contributor to unhealthful diets, as it is often calorically dense. We investigate the association between household access to restaurants and diet quality using USDA FoodAPS data and NPD ReCount data.

Methods

We define radii around households to measure restaurant outlet counts and apply a regression analysis incorporating household characteristics.

Results

We find that neither restaurant counts nor openings share many statistically or economically significant associations with average dietary quality. Household characteristics and demographics are far more powerful in explaining variation in diet quality.

Discussion

Our findings align with the large and growing body of empirical research that suggests that personal preferences and other household characteristics are more important than the food environment in explaining food choices and diet quality. Given the extant research on the importance of access to large supermarkets, our results suggest that access to food retailers is more important in explaining diet quality than access to restaurants.

Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Patterns and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation: Findings From a Nationally Representative Survey

BACKGROUND

Previous studies suggest that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants purchase less produce than nonparticipants. Whether this is due to buying smaller amounts or to being less likely to buy any produce is unclear. Purchase patterns may also differ over the monthly distribution cycle.

OBJECTIVE

To examine differences in the likelihood and amounts of fruits and vegetables purchased between SNAP household compared with nonparticipant households and to determine differences in produce purchases among SNAP households at different time points in the monthly distribution cycle.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

PARTICIPANTS/SETTING

Data from 4708 households in the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (April 2012 to January 2013). Participants recorded all foods acquired over 7 days.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Fruits and vegetables acquired over a 7-day period.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED

Weighted logistic and linear regression models adjusting for household and primary respondent characteristics were used to compare odds of purchasing fruits and vegetables and amounts purchased across 3 categories: SNAP participants, SNAP-eligible nonparticipants, and ineligible nonparticipants. SNAP participants were further subdivided according to weeks since last receiving benefits.

RESULTS

In adjusted analyses, SNAP participants and nonparticipants were similarly likely to purchase fruits and vegetables. However, SNAP households within a week of receiving benefits were more likely than SNAP households later in the benefit cycle to buy fruit overall, especially frozen or canned fruit, and vegetables overall, including fresh, frozen or canned, starchy, and nonstarchy vegetables (fruit odds ratio [OR] 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12, 2.53; vegetable OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.04, 2.55 vs households in middle of cycle). In contrast, those in the last week of the benefit cycle were less likely to purchase fruit, especially fresh fruit, and vegetables, especially fresh and nonstarchy vegetables (fruit OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.35, 0.94; vegetable OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.42, 0.79 vs. households in middle of cycle), and when they bought vegetables, they bought significantly less.

CONCLUSION

Considering all SNAP households together at different points in their distribution cycle masks substantial declines in purchasing fruits and vegetables over the monthly cycle.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation and current restricted food expenditures: implications for policy

OBJECTIVE

National concerns over food insecurity and obesity have prompted legislation seeking to further restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases. The objective of this study is to provide insight on the potential impact of proposed purchase restrictions by comparing SNAP participant and income-eligible non-participants' expenditures on current SNAP-restricted foods, that is, hot foods, prepared foods, alcohol, vitamins and meal supplements.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study. Bivariate analysis and multivariable regression analysis with an instrumental variables approach were employed to compare the probability of purchasing and expenditures on current SNAP-restricted foods among SNAP participants and income-eligible non-participants.

SETTING

National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey, 2012-2013.

PARTICIPANTS

2513 households, of which 1316 were SNAP participants and 1197 were income-eligible non-participants.

RESULTS

Both the share of households purchasing and household expenditures on current SNAP-restricted foods were similar among SNAP participants and income-eligible non-participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Results provide further empirical evidence that proposed SNAP purchase restrictions on sugar-sweetened beverages, snack foods and luxury foods are unlikely to have a meaningful effect on SNAP household food purchases.

Nonresponse and Underreporting Errors Increase over the Data Collection Week Based on Paradata from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey

Background: Food acquisition diary surveys are important for studying food expenditures, factors affecting food acquisition decisions, and relations between these decisions with selected measures of health (e.g., body mass index, self-reported health). However, to our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the errors associated with these diary surveys, which can bias survey estimates and research findings. The use of paradata, which has been largely ignored in previous literature on diary surveys, could be useful for studying errors in these surveys.Objective: We used paradata to assess survey errors in the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS).Methods: To evaluate the patterns of nonresponse over the diary period, we fit a multinomial logistic regression model to data from this 1-wk diary survey. We also assessed factors influencing respondents' probability of reporting food acquisition events during the diary process by using logistic regression models. Finally, with the use of an ordinal regression model, we studied factors influencing respondents' perceived ease of participation in the survey.Results: As the diary period progressed, nonresponse increased, especially for those starting the survey on Friday (where the odds of a refusal increased by 12% with each fielding day). The odds of reporting food acquisition events also decreased by 6% with each additional fielding day. Similarly, the odds of reporting ≥1 food-away-from-home event (i.e., meals, snacks, and drinks obtained outside the home) decreased significantly over the fielding period. Male respondents, larger households, households that eat together less often, and households with frequent guests reported a significantly more difficult time getting household members to participate, as did non-English-speaking households and households currently experiencing difficult financial conditions.Conclusions: Nonresponse and underreporting of food acquisition events tended to increase in the FoodAPS as data collection proceeded. This analysis of paradata available in the FoodAPS revealed these errors and suggests methodologic improvements for future food acquisition surveys.