Background
While undernutrition and related infectious diseases are still pervasive in many developing
countries, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD), typically associated with
high body mass index (BMI), is rapidly rising. The fast spread of supermarkets and related
shifts in diets were identified as possible factors contributing to overweight and obesity in
developing countries. Potential effects of supermarkets on people’s health have not been
analyzed up till now.
Objective
This study investigates the effects of purchasing food in supermarkets on people’s BMI, as
well as on health indicators such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood pressure (BP), and
the metabolic syndrome.
Design
This study uses cross-section observational data from urban Kenya. Demographic, anthropometric,
and bio-medical data were collected from 550 randomly selected adults. Purchasing
food in supermarkets is defined as a binary variable that takes a value of one if any food
was purchased in supermarkets during the last 30 days. In a robustness check, the share of
food purchased in supermarkets is defined as a continuous variable. Instrumental variable
regressions are applied to control for confounding factors and establish causality.
Results
Purchasing food in supermarkets contributes to higher BMI (+ 1.8 kg/m2
) (P<0.01) and an
increased probability (+ 20 percentage points) of being overweight or obese (P<0.01). Purchasing
food in supermarkets also contributes to higher levels of FBG (+ 0.3 mmol/L)
(P<0.01) and a higher likelihood (+ 16 percentage points) of suffering from pre-diabetes (P<0.01) and the metabolic syndrome (+ 7 percentage points) (P<0.01). Effects on BP
could not be observed.
Conclusions
Supermarkets and their food sales strategies seem to have direct effects on people’s health.
In addition to increasing overweight and obesity, supermarkets contribute to nutrition-related
NCDs. Effects of supermarkets on nutrition and health can mainly be ascribed to changes in
the composition of people’s food choices.