Healthy Diets in Rural Victoria—Cheaper than Unhealthy Alternatives, Yet Unaffordable

Bibliographic Data

ID15493263
AuthorsKaren J Campbell (0000-0002-1244-3947, Deakin University, corresponding author), Jillian M Whelan (0000-0001-9434-109X, Deakin University), Colin Bell (0000-0003-2731-9858, Deakin University), Felicity Grainger (Deakin University), Cherie Russell (0000-0003-1251-4810, Deakin University), Meron Lewis (0000-0003-2163-0848, Sax Institute), Amanda Lee (0000-0002-4865-9061, The University of Queensland)
Year2018
Volume15
Issue11
Pages2469-2469
Publication date2018-11-05
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph15112469
PMID30400654
OpenAlexW2900426410
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited21

Rural communities experience higher rates of obesity and reduced food security compared with urban communities. The perception that healthy foods are expensive contributes to poor dietary choices. Providing an accessible, available, affordable healthy food supply is an equitable way to improve the nutritional quality of the diet for a community, however, local food supply data are rarely available for small rural towns. This study used the Healthy Diets ASAP tool to assess price, price differential and affordability of recommended (healthy) and current diets in a rural Local Government Area (LGA) (pop ≈ 7000; 10 towns) in Victoria, Australia. All retail food outlets were surveyed ( n = 40). The four most populous towns had supermarkets; remaining towns had one general store each. Seven towns had café/take-away outlets, and all towns had at least one hotel/pub. For all towns the current unhealthy diet was more expensive than the recommended healthy diet, with 59.5% of the current food budget spent on discretionary items. Affordability of the healthy diet accounted for 30−32% of disposable income. This study confirms that while a healthy diet is less expensive than the current unhealthier diet, affordability is a challenge for rural communities. Food security is reduced further with restricted geographical access, a limited healthy food supply, and higher food prices

Agricultural economics · Agriculture · Business · Economics · Environmental health · Food prices · Food security · Food supply · Geography · Government (linguistics · Healthy food · Low income · Obesity · Rural area · Socioeconomics · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Social Issues and Policies · Food Science