Heat or Eat? Cold-Weather Shocks and Nutrition in Poor American Families

Bibliographic Data

ID11035652
AuthorsJayanta Bhattacharya (0000-0001-9426-8718, Jayanta Bhattacharya is with the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford Medical School, Stanford, Calif. Thomas DeLeire is with the Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, Ill. Steven Haider is with RAND, Santa Monica, Calif. Jane Currie is with the Department of Economics, University of California Los Angeles.), Thomas Deleire (0000-0003-3658-0177, Jayanta Bhattacharya is with the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford Medical School, Stanford, Calif. Thomas DeLeire is with the Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, Ill. Steven Haider is with RAND, Santa Monica, Calif. Jane Currie is with the Department of Economics, University of California Los Angeles.), Steven J Haider (IZA - Institute of Labor Economics), Steven Haider (Jayanta Bhattacharya is with the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford Medical School, Stanford, Calif. Thomas DeLeire is with the Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, Ill. Steven Haider is with RAND, Santa Monica, Calif. Jane Currie is with the Department of Economics, University of California Los Angeles.), Janet Currie (0000-0003-0424-2966, Jayanta Bhattacharya is with the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford Medical School, Stanford, Calif. Thomas DeLeire is with the Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, Ill. Steven Haider is with RAND, Santa Monica, Calif. Jane Currie is with the Department of Economics, University of California Los Angeles.), Janet M Currie (0000-0002-9220-9113, National Bureau of Economic Research)
Year2003
Volume93
Issue7
Pages1149-1154
Publication date2003-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.93.7.1149
PMID12835201
OpenAlexW2130093260
LanguageEN
Citations received83
References cited13

Objectives. The authors sought to determine the effects of cold-weather periods on budgets and nutritional outcomes among poor American families. Methods. The Consumer Expenditure Survey was used to track expenditures on food and home fuels, and the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to track calorie consumption, dietary quality, vitamin deficiencies, and anemia. Results. Both poor and richer families increased fuel expenditures in response to unusually cold weather. Poor families reduced food expenditures by roughly the same amount as their increase in fuel expenditures, whereas richer families increased food expenditures. Conclusions. Poor parents and their children spend less on and eat less food during cold-weather budgetary shocks. Existing social programs fail to buffer against these shocks

Agricultural economics · Calorie · Cold weather · Consumption (sociology) · Demographic economics · Economics · Environmental health · Geography · Meteorology · National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey · Population · Agricultural risk and resilience · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine

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