OBJECTIVE:To analyze the influence of income and food prices on household consumption of fruit and vegetables. METHODS:Data from the 1998/99 Household Budget Survey were analyzed, which was conducted by the Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas (Institute for Economic Research Foundation) in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The infl uence of income and food price on the relative participation of fruit and vegetables in the total household calorie intake was studied using regression analysis to estimate elasticity coeffi cients. RESULTS:There was an increase in participation of fruit and vegetables in total household calorie purchases along with the recorded decrease in prices, increase in family income, and increase in prices of other foods. A one percent decrease in the price of fruit and vegetables would lead to a 0.2% increase in the participation of these items in the total calorie content; a 1% increase in the price of other foods would increase fruit and vegetable participation by 0.07%; and a 1% increase in family income would increase participation by 0.04%. The effect of the prices of other foods was less intense in higher income groups, and in the other two scenarios we were unable to identify consistent income-associated patterns. CONCLUSIONS:A reduction in the price of fruit and vegetables, which can be achieved by means of public policies, could lead to an increase in fruit and vegetable intake in households in São Paulo and in other cities with similar scenarios.
OBJECTIVE:To analyze the evolution of relative prices of food groups and its infl uence on public healthy eating policies. METHODS:Data from the municipality of São Paulo between 1939 and 2010 were analyzed based on calculating index numbers. Data from the Economic Researches Foundation Institute price database and weight structures (1939 to 1988) and from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (1989 to 2010) were used to. The price database was organized, its consistency tested and prices were defl ated using the consumer price index. Relative prices were calculated and associated to food categories and groups, according to the food pyramid guide adapted for the Brazilian population. The price indices for each group were calculated according to Laspeyres modifi ed formula. The general food price index was compared with the indices for each food group and respective category: fresh food, processed food, beverages, meat, legumes, milk and eggs, cereals and root vegetables and eating out. RESULTS:Price indices for fat, oil, spices, sugars and sweets and processed food showed relative price reduction. Fresh food, such as fruit and vegetables, showed an increase in relative prices. Other food groups, such as cereals, fl our and pasta, meat, milk and egg, showed a steadier long term trend in relative prices. CONCLUSIONS:The evolution of relative prices of food in the city of Sao Paulo demonstrates a negative trend towards healthy eating at household level in the long run. Trends in the evolution of Brazilian eating patterns show a signifi cant increase in the consumption of processed foods with high levels of simple sugars, sodium and lipids (foods which characterize an unhealthy diet). Associated with reduced consumption of fresh foods (standard markers of healthy eating). 10 The nutritional profi le of Brazilian adults has changed signifi cantly since the 1970s. This transition process is characterized by the gradual decrease in the proportion of malnourished individuals and the continued increase in prevalence of obesity. 12 The change in Brazilian eating patterns is allied to life style changes due to urbanization and technological advances, such as the progressive reduction in energy expenditure at work and on household tasks. This results in an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. 18,19 The result of the changing nutritional panorama in the country includes increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population and changes in the national morbidity profi le, burdening the health care system. 3,15,17 Food consumption is infl uenced by a wide variety of factors, especially economic determinants, such as relative prices and income. 4,11,17,a Since the end of the 1930s, factors linked to supply, such as improved technology and increased scales of production, accompanied by increased demand, have enabled the price per calorie of processed food to be reduced. 8,b Studies show that the price per calorie of fresh food, more subject to weather conditions and pests ...
We analyze the random field model applied to a non-cooperative social game of binary choices, as proposed by Durlauf (1997) and Brock and Durlauf (2001), but we allow for a more generic distribution of the agents' heterogeneity. We aim to show that their results still hold, i.e., there can be multiple equilibria when agents have some interest in adjusting their strategic behavior to that prevailing as the aggregate choice and we discuss some features such as positive feedbacks, the social multiplier, and the possibility of increasing returns on the outcomes of economic policy due to social interactions.
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