On the interplay between educational attainment and nutrition: a spatially-aware perspective
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2021
Abstract:
Food choices are an integral part of wellbeing and longevity, yet poor nutrition is
responsible for millions of deaths every year. Among the complex mosaic of
determinants of food choices are demographic, socioeconomic, physiological, and
also cultural. In this work, we explore the connection between educational
attainment, as a proxy for cultural capital, and food purchases, as a proxy for food
consumption. Unlike existing studies, which use diaries and surveys, we use a
large-scale dataset of food-related products purchased from a major retailer in
London over the course of one year. By using this high-resolution dataset, we are able
to explore the spatial dependence of the various factors impacting food choices, and
estimate their direct and indirect spatial effects. We characterize food consumption
across two complementary dimensions of (1) diet composition, and (2) diet variety. By
building spatial auto-regressive models on these variables, we obtain an improved fit
compared to traditional regression, and illustrate the importance of spillover effects.
Our results consistently confirm the association between a higher educational
attainment and a healthier diet, even when controlling for spatial correlation. First, a
low educational level is connected to diets high in carbohydrates and low in fibers.
Second, it is also associated with higher consumption of sweets and red meats, while
high educational level is linked to a greater consumption of fruits, vegetables, and
fish. Third, highly-educated areas show an increased nutritional diversity, together
with a lower caloric intake. Finally, we show the presence of spillover effects within
the neighboring communities, which would need to be taken in consideration when
designing public health policies and interventions.
Tipologia CRIS:
03A-Articolo su Rivista
Keywords:
Food choices; Cultural capital; Educational attainment; Spatial analysis
Elenco autori:
Narges Azizi Fard, Gianmarco De Francisci Morales, Yelena Mejova, Rossano Schifanella
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