Savings and Nutrition at Low Incomes

A comparison of the cost of generic and branded food products in Australian supermarkets.

OBJECTIVE Food cost is an important factor influencing the consumption of nutritious foods and subsequent chronic disease risk. The present study compared the cost of branded food products with their generic equivalents across a range of food categories. SETTING The survey was conducted within two major supermarket chains across six locations in Sydney, Australia (n 12). DESIGN Price differ...

Preliminary SAVING AND REFERENCE GROUPS

I consider how the saving behavior of consumers is affected by incomes in their reference group. Although standard life cycle models with interdependent preferences provide no clear cut prediction of how incomes in one’s reference group should influence savings, the empirical analysis points to an unambiguously negative effect: If incomes in the reference group are higher, savings are lower. Th...

Characteristics of food group intake by household income in the National Health and Nutrition Survey, Japan.

This study examines the relationship between of food group intake and household income in a representative Japanese population. A total of 11,015 subjects (5,127 men and 5,888 women) aged 20 to 79 years, in 5,475 households who were part of the National Health and Nutrition Survey, Japan, in 2010 and 2011 were analyzed. Dietary intake was recorded for one day in November for those aged one year...

Medicare private health plans versus Medicare savings programs: which is the better way to help people with low incomes afford health care?

Can Savings Help Overcome Income Instability

This brief explores the role that savings can play in alleviating material hardship for low-income households. We use longitudinal household data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to examine whether modest liquid assets—sometimes referred to as precautionary or emergency savings, a rainy-day fund, or ready money—can protect against impending hardship for low-income hous...