Shaped by Scarcity: the mental impact of poverty on food choice
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2025-07-04
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en
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Recent statistics indicate obesity is more prevalent among people with lower incomes. Previous research has shown that poverty reduces cognitive function. Some research has linked this to making unhealthier food choices. However, the evidence so far is limited. Therefore, this study adopts an experimental approach to study how being primed with experiencing poverty impacts the healthiness of food choices. Additionally, it is evaluated whether imposing a cognitive load impacts these results. The data are evaluated using ordered logit regressions. Although the experimental setup provides the opportunity of establishing causality, the results of the experiment indicate there is no relation between experiencing poverty or a cognitive load and the healthiness of food choices. Significant predictors of the healthiness of food choices were gender, perceived social pressure to eat healthily, and how important participants indicated price and healthy eating to be. Therefore, this research contributes to the understanding of what mental aspects drive the food choices of individuals and how poverty changes that. That way, it contributes to policymaker’s understanding of what drives the health gap between people with lower and higher incomes and what should be focused on when aiming to close this gap.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen