Association between hourly wages and dietary intake after the first phase of implementation of the Minneapolis minimum wage ordinance

Abstract

Objective: In 2018, Minneapolis began phased implementation of an ordinance to increase the local minimum wage to $15/hour. We sought to determine whether the first phase of implementation was associated with changes in frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grain-rich foods, and foods high in added sugars among low-wage workers. Design: Natural experiment. Setting: The Wages Study is a prospective cohort study of 974 low-wage workers followed throughout the phased implementation of the ordinance (2018-2022). We used difference-in-difference analysis to compare outcomes among workers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to those in a comparison city (Raleigh, North Carolina). We assessed wages using participants’ pay stubs and dietary intake using the National Cancer Institute Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Participants: Analyses use the first two waves of Wages data (2018 [baseline], 2019) and includes 267 and 336 low-wage workers in Minneapolis and Raleigh (respectively). Results: After the first phase of implementation, wages increased in both cities, but the increase was $0.82 greater in Minneapolis (p=0.02). However, the first phase of the policy’s implementation was not associated with changes in daily frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables (IRR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.86-1.24, p=0.73), whole grain-rich foods (IRR=1.23, 95% CI: 0.89-1.70, p=0.20), or foods high in added sugars (IRR=1.13, 95% CI: 0.86-1.47, p=0.38) among workers in Minneapolis compared to Raleigh. Conclusions: The first phase of implementation of the Minneapolis minimum wage policy was associated with increased wages, but not with changes in dietary intake. Future research should examine whether full implementation is associated dietary changes.

Improving Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility, Purchasing, and Consumption to Advance Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the United States

“…Broader interventions addressing social and economic disadvantages may be suited to addressing disparities in FV access, purchasing, and consumption because socioeconomic status has been proposed as a fundamental cause of health disparities and a potential mechanism through which structural racism affects health outcomes [ 77 , 78 , 79 ]. The limited evidence we have on this topic to date has indicated no change in FV consumption after a modest increase in minimum wage [ 80 ]. However, given long-standing inequities, more progressive investments to support the health and wealth of socially and economically disadvantaged populations are likely needed.…”

The effects of minimum wages on (almost) everything? A review of recent evidence on health and related behaviors

“…Some studies note the direct link between jobs, income, and access to health care (e.g., Van Dyke et al, 2018), possibly via changes in health insurance, if the minimum wage reduces fringe benefits offered by firms (Marks, 2011). A few studies note that income changes can affect access to government benefits, including nutrition assistance or public health insurance (e.g., Chapman et al, 2021). Other less direct links from minimum wages to health that have been considered include the impact of minimum wages on goods prices (such as fast food), which could in turn affect diet (Cotti & Tefft, 2013), and even higher minimum wages affecting hygiene at restaurants, via staffing changes (Chakrabarti et al, 2021).…”

“…Details: Although wages increased more in Minneapolis after minimum wage ordinance implemented (but no difference in effects on household income, measured in categories), no detected change in daily consumption of fruit and vegetables, whole grain rich foods, or food high in added sugars. Chapman et al (2021)…”

“…Among the five studies reporting mixed findings or no evidence of effects, I am critical of how compelling the evidence is in three of them. One exception is Chapman et al's (2021) small‐scale study of the effects of a higher minimum wage in Minneapolis. The other is Cotti and Tefft (2013), who ask a different and narrower question relative to the literature simply estimating the effects of minimum wages on health outcomes—in particular, whether changes in minimum wages, via their effect on fast‐food prices, affect obesity or being overweight.…”

Examining Changes in Food Security, Perceived Stress, and Dietary Intake in a Cohort of Low-Wage Workers Experiencing an Increase in Hourly Wage

“…Thus, policies that increase lower income Americans’ hourly wage, such as minimum wage ordinances, may increase household income. This, in turn, may lead to improvements in relevant mediators (such as stress or food security), thereby increasing one’s ability to purchase and consume healthier and more costly foods such as F&V. The authors previously published a conceptual model (which was created using the above information and other information reported in the literature) that displays various hypothesized relationships between a minimum wage ordinance and improvements in health, including dietary intake (Chapman et al, 2021). In addition, conceptual models linking minimum wage increases to food security, stress, and dietary intake have been developed and reported in the literature (Caspi, De Marco, Durfee, et al, 2021).…”