Association Between the Nutritional Quality of Food Purchases and Household Food at Home Expenditures in Mexico

• Published in: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2025-01, Vol.125 (1), p.99-108.e12
• Main Authors: Sánchez-Ortiz, Néstor A., Batis, Carolina, Castellanos-Gutiérrez, Analí, Colchero, M. Arantxa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; adults; beverages; Consumer Behavior - economics; Consumer Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet - economics; Diet - statistics & numerical data; dietetics; Expenditures; Family Characteristics; Female; Food - economics; Food purchases; Food quality; Global Diet Quality Score; household income; Humans; Income; Male; Mexico; Middle Aged; Nutritive Value; risk factors; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; surveys
• ISSN: 2212-2672
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2024.07.002

Poor-quality diets are a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases. Few studies in Mexico have tested whether higher expenditures are needed to purchase high-quality food. The objective of the study was to assess how dietary quality of food purchases was associated with household food at home expenditures. This study was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (EncuestaNacional de Ingresos y Gastos de los Hogares [ENIGH] 2018). The study included 74 469 households with information on food and beverage purchases in Mexico in 2018. Quarterly household food at home expenditures by adult equivalent (AE) for all food groups that were scored with the Global Dietary Quality Score (GDQS) for food purchases expressed in dollars/quarterly/AE. Adjusted generalized linear models were used to evaluate the association between GDQS for food purchases (expressed in tertiles: low, mid, and high) and quarterly food expenditures. The analyses were performed at the national level by place of residence and income quintile. At the national level, the difference in food expenditures between the high- and the low-GDQS groups was +$13.85/AE. By place of residence, the difference between the high- and the low-GDQS groups was +$17.31/AE in urban and +$5.12/AE in rural areas. For income quintile 1 (lowest), there was a statistical difference of –$4.79/AE and +$43.25 for quintile 5 (highest). Quality of food purchases can be associated with higher or lower expenditures depending on the specific food purchased. High GDQS is associated with lower expenditures among the lowest-income households as they purchase less expensive options compared with high-income households.