The Effect of a Recessionary Economy on Food Choice: Implications for Nutrition Education

Objective: To determine the effect of an economic recession on food choice behaviors. Design: A qualitative study using semistructured, in-depth interviews followed by completion of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire and the Food Choice Questionnaire was conducted. Setting and Participants: A convenience sample from a metropolitan city in the Midwest. Women with children younger than 18 years in the household who had experienced unemployment, underemployment, or loss of a house because of foreclosure in the previous year participated (n = 25). Main Outcome Measure: Reported behaviors for food choices when grocery shopping and dining out and educational resources requested to inform nutrition education programs. Analysis: Interviews were coded with a matrix derived from participant statements. Common behaviors were grouped and broad themes were identified. Results: Numerous shopping strategies were recently used to save money (eg, buying only sale items, using coupons). Participants believed a healthful diet included a variety of foods with less sugar, salt, and fat. Recipes and menus that required little cost or preparation time and resources to track food expenditures were desired. Conclusions and Implications: Nutrition education should include money-saving shopping strategies, facilitate menu planning and cooking skills, and address food resource management to enable participants to acquire sufficient, acceptable, and nutritionally adequate food.