Supermarket Shopping and Nutritional Outcomes: A Panel Data Analysis for Urban Kenya
File(s)WORLD DEVELOPMENT_Demmler et al. 2018.pdf (406.04 KB)
Published version
Author(s)
Demmler, Kathrin M
Ecker, Olivier
Qaim, Matin
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Overweight and obesity are growing health problems in many developing countries. Rising obesity rates are the result of changes in people’s diets and lifestyles. Income growth and urbanization are factors that contribute to these changes. Modernizing food retail environments may also play a certain role. For instance, the rapid spread of supermarkets in many developing countries could affect consumer food choices and thus nutritional outcomes. However, concrete evidence about the effects of supermarkets on consumer diets and nutrition is thin. A few existing studies have analyzed related linkages with cross-sectional survey data. We add to this literature by using panel data from households and individuals in urban Kenya. Employing panel regression models with individual fixed effects and controlling for other factors we show that shopping in supermarkets significantly increases body mass index (BMI). We also analyze impact pathways. Shopping in supermarkets contributes to higher consumption of processed and highly processed foods and lower consumption of unprocessed foods. These results confirm that the retail environment affects people’s food choices and nutrition. However, the effects depend on the types of foods offered. Rather than thwarting modernization in the retail sector, policies that incentivize the sale of more healthy foods—such as fruits and vegetables—in supermarkets may be more promising to promote desirable nutritional outcomes.
Date Issued
2017-08-05
Date Acceptance
2017-07-10
Citation
World Development, 2017, 102, pp.292-303
ISSN
0305-750X
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
292
End Page
303
Journal / Book Title
World Development
Volume
102
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Subjects
Social Sciences
Economics
Planning & Development
Business & Economics
Public Administration
dietary choices
overweight
obesity
supermarkets
panel data
Africa
DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES
ECONOMIC BURDEN
DIET QUALITY
OBESITY
TRANSITION
INDEX
COSTS
Publication Status
Published