Is the healthy start scheme associated with increased food expenditure in low-income families with young children in the United Kingdom?
| Autor: | Christopher Millett, Anthony A Laverty, von Hinke S, Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, K Chang, J Parnham, Eszter P. Vamos |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Applied Economics, NIHR, National Institute for Health Research |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
REVISIONS
Inequality IMPACT media_common.quotation_subject INFANTS Healthy start 1117 Public Health and Health Services VEGETABLE INTAKE Pregnancy Environmental health Vegetables Public health nutrition public health policy evaluation Humans Medicine Nutrition assistance programmes Child Poverty Public Environmental & Occupational Health media_common Public health nutrition Science & Technology FRUIT business.industry Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Infant WOMEN SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM United Kingdom public health policy evaluation Purchasing Healthy start vouchers Quantile regression Voucher Cross-Sectional Studies Infant formula Child Preschool Food Assistance Public Health Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Health Expenditures business Life Sciences & Biomedicine Welfare Research Article |
| Zdroj: | BMC Public Health, 21(1):2220. BioMed Central Ltd. BMC Public Health BMC Public Health, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 1471-2458 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12889-021-12222-5 |
| Popis: | Background Healthy Start is a food assistance programme in the United Kingdom (UK) which aims to provide a nutritional safety-net and enable low-income families on welfare benefits to access a healthier diet through the provision of food vouchers. Healthy Start was launched in 2006 but remains under-evaluated. This study aims to determine whether participation in the Healthy Start scheme is associated with differences in food expenditure in a nationally representative sample of households in the UK. Methods Cross-sectional analyses of the Living Costs and Food Survey dataset (2010–2017). All households with a child (0–3 years) or pregnant woman were included in the analysis (n = 4869). Multivariable quantile regression compared the expenditure and quantity of fruit and vegetables (FV), infant formula and total food purchases. Four exposure groups were defined based on eligibility, participation and income (Healthy Start Participating, Eligible Non-participating, Nearly Eligible low-income and Ineligible high-income households). Results Of 876 eligible households, 54% participated in Healthy Start. No statistically significant differences were found in FV or total food purchases between participating and eligible non-participating households, but infant formula purchases were lower in Healthy Start participating households. Ineligible higher-income households had higher purchases of FV. Conclusion This study did not find evidence of an association between Healthy Start participation and FV expenditure. Moreover, inequalities in FV purchasing persist in the UK. Higher participation and increased voucher value may help to improve programme performance and counteract the harmful effects of poverty on diet. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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