Poverty & obesity: how poverty and hunger influence food choices

Abstract

Background: Levels of overweight and obesity are higher in individuals from low socioeconomic status (SES) and those experiencing food insecurity. Previous research has shown that poverty cues make people eat more calories. The aim of this research is to investigate whether these cues influence individuals from different SES levels differently. Methods: Participants were recruited online (n = 197) and were randomly allocated to a scenario in which they were told that their current income level was relatively lower (poor condition) or higher (rich condition) than others. They then completed a money and food discounting task. The data was analysed in a regression model in R. Findings: A significant interaction was found between condition and income (B = -1.49, t(194) = -3.09, p = .002): people with lower incomes discounted more when they were in the poor (vs. rich) condition, whereas people with higher incomes discounted less when they were in the poor (vs. rich) condition. These findings were independent of whether the discounted reward was money or food. The findings for people with high (vs. low) hunger were identical to those of low (vs. high) income, indicating the importance of investigating food insecurity alongside income deprivation. Discussion: The above results show that, under conditions of scarcity, poor and hungry people react more impulsively towards monetary and food rewards. This has implications for health policies in different SES environments. In order to better understand the underlying psychological mechanism, future studies will examine possible moderators (e.g. personal control, negative affect).