{"id":28166,"date":"2022-06-24T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2022-06-24T09:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=24389"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:13:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:13:36","slug":"health-inequalities-why-is-it-harder-for-some-people-to-eat-healthily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/health-inequalities-why-is-it-harder-for-some-people-to-eat-healthily\/","title":{"rendered":"Health inequalities: Why is it harder for some people to eat healthily?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is the third instalment of our series on health inequalities, where we explore the unfair and avoidable differences in cancer incidence and outcomes across society. Our last post looked at inequalities in smoking<\/a>, and what needs to change to reduce smoking-related cancers. <\/em><\/p>\n

In this piece, we investigate diet inequality and its root causes with Dr Amy Yau, Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. We also explore why governments need to go much further and much faster to tackle diet inequality and to support people to maintain a healthy weight. <\/em><\/p>\n

Food, health and wealth<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no shortage of information and advice about diet. From online food bloggers to conversations with family members, everyone seems to have an opinion about what we should be eating. And it\u2019s not surprising, with food playing such a key role in our health. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>healthy, balanced diet<\/span><\/a> can help us keep a healthy weight, reducing our risk of 13 different types of cancer. And what you eat can also have an effect on your risk of cancer. Eating too much processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer. Whereas a diet low in red meat and high in fibre from wholegrain foods may reduce the risk. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But a healthy diet is not always easy to achieve, and people from lower income groups face substantial challenges when it comes to accessing healthy food. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Inequalities in diet and eating are extremely complex \u2013 the healthy option is not always the easy option, or an option at all. But there are still things that can be done to tackle the differences between groups in access to healthy balanced diets. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

We spoke to Dr Amy Yau about the drivers of this issue and what can be done to tackle three of the biggest threats to our health: diet inequality, food poverty and obesity. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

What do we mean by diet inequality?<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

Diet inequalities are differences between groups in how difficult it is to eat healthily in the long-term. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFood is such an important part of people\u2019s lives, culture and identity. There isn\u2019t just one diet that\u2019s the perfect diet that we want everyone to have \u2013 it\u2019s about giving people the ability and the option to have a healthy balanced diet that is tasty to them, but also easily achievable,\u201d says Yau.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

This means that it doesn\u2019t really matter if you have curry or cauliflower cheese for tea tonight. We all have a right to have a healthy diet overall \u2013 one that\u2019s made up of plenty of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and healthy proteins, and is light on processed and red meat, as well as foods high in fat, salt and sugar. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But in reality, we\u2019re not all getting an equal shot at making healthy food choices, which in turn contributes to health and cancer inequalities. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

So, what is it that puts a healthy balanced diet out of reach for some of us?<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Barriers to healthy eating<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cA lot of things feed into peoples\u2019 different dietary habits and their ability to purchase and maintain a healthy balanced diet,\u201d Yau explains.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really down to the resources that people have, be that personal resources \u2013 the time and effort that has to go into choosing, buying and cooking food. Or whether it\u2019s actual material things \u2013 money to buy food, housing with kitchen facilities, a big enough fridge and freezer to store things in and so on.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

A lack of cooking facilities in homes might seem like an extreme example, but <\/span>data collected by charity Turn2US<\/span><\/a> suggests that 1.9 million of us are living without a cooker, and 2.8 million without a freezer. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And what\u2019s more, worrying anecdotal reports of people turning off fridges and freezers, or disconnecting from gas and electricity in response to increasing energy costs, mean that appliance poverty could be affecting more people now than it has previously. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Even if access to cooking facilities isn\u2019t a problem, being short on other resources might be. Lack of time, money or energy can also make buying and preparing healthy food a difficult prospect. Examples include a lack of travel options to supermarkets making the weekly shop long and costly, or not having enough time to prepare lunches for school or work. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of resources take healthier options off the table for some. And the proliferation of fast-food outlets in more deprived areas provide a quick, easy, and often less nutritious alternative.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Food gives us energy (measured in calories) and the nutrients we need to keep our bodies fuelled up and ticking over. And when faced with these limited resources, high-calorie meals are often the easiest and cheapest option available. Products that are higher in fat, salt and sugar often have more calories, are cheaper, and are more likely to be advertised and part of price promotions such as 2-for-1 deals.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone is struggling to make ends meet, then they are more likely to be buying these products to get enough calories. And it\u2019s not just the cost of products, but the cost of products relative to others that is really important.\u201d Yau adds.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that a healthy balanced diet, as recommended by the NHS, demands time, energy, and money. And although motivation, cooking skills and knowledge are also important, we must recognise that often \u2018the healthy option\u2019 simply isn\u2019t an option for many in the UK. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Food Poverty<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

With costs of food and other household bills rising faster than income, more people are facing the prospect of food poverty or food insecurity . Yau defines this not only as \u201cthe inability to consume enough quality food\u201d, but also \u201cthe worry that you won\u2019t be able to do so\u201d.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Yau also explained that it\u2019s difficult to track food poverty, and data is often incomplete or insufficient, but that data from foodbanks can help us understand trends in food poverty across the UK.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone who is food insecure will go to a foodbank, but we\u2019ve seen foodbank use really rising. It\u2019s been going up ever since the global financial crisis in 2007\/2008, and we saw the highest recorded use in the first year of the pandemic.\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Foodbanks in the UK do an incredible job helping families get enough to eat. But they are only a partial solution. \u201cSolutions need to be upstream,\u201d explains Yau.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Upstream solutions address the causes of a problem, rather than just tackling the symptoms.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust providing food is not a long-term solution. We need to address the drivers \u2013 people not being able to afford to live in general because of the high cost of living and low incomes. Solutions have to start there \u2013 looking at minimum wage, national living wages, zero hours contracts, and income stability.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Limited diets and obesity<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

Overweight and obesity in the UK is amongst the highest in Europe, with more deprived groups affected the most. If current overweight and obesity trends continue, the number of UK adults who are overweight or obese could reach around <\/span>7 in 10 people<\/span><\/a>, or 42 million people, by 2040. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

It can seem counter-intuitive, but many people experiencing food poverty are also affected by obesity. In England, obesity rates are more than a third higher in the most versus least deprived men, and around three-quarters higher in the most versus least deprived women. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

When a healthy balanced diet and regular meals aren\u2019t an option, the alternative is high-calorie, highly processed, less nutritious food that makes it much harder to keep a healthy weight.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

What we can do as individuals<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Just knowing <\/span>what makes a healthy diet<\/span><\/a> can help with our day-to-day food choices. That could be as simple as choosing beans or fresh chicken over <\/span>processed and red meat<\/span><\/a> next time you\u2019re eating out, or making swaps to increase the amount of <\/span>wholegrain foods<\/span><\/a> in your diet.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

However, relying on education and awareness <\/span>alone won\u2019t narrow existing health inequalities.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re only asking people to change their behaviour, you\u2019re losing people at each step. It\u2019s the people that have the most resources, and maybe more knowledge that are most able to make these changes.\u201d Yau says. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEducation is important for people to have the knowledge and confidence to make good decisions and prepare healthy meals. But just equipping people with knowledge and skills won\u2019t fix the problem if the environment isn\u2019t also supportive.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Making the healthy choice the easy choice<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

Take advertising. What we\u2019re exposed to on our mobile phones, tv screens and high streets plays a big part in what we end up eating. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Recent research by CRUK<\/span><\/a> found young people recalled seeing advertising of unhealthy foods at high levels and offered tangible examples of how this influenced their food choices and purchases. And the number of places young people are exposed to this advertising is growing, with the rapid rise of new digital platforms<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Most of the advertising we see is for high fat, salt and sugar products<\/span><\/a>, so by removing some of those, we\u2019re really giving people more choice to be able to choose from a variety of options. It\u2019s about rebalancing what we\u2019re exposed to,\u201d Yau explains.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s important to remember that multi-buy offers on junk food aren\u2019t just bad for our diets \u2013 <\/span>they don\u2019t help us save us money either<\/span><\/a> \u2013 but they do hoodwink shoppers into spending more on less nutritious food.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite significant potential to change the food environment, the UK Government has <\/span>delayed its commitment<\/span><\/a> to implement restrictions on junk food advertising, and on multi-buy price promotions for less healthy food and drink in England. Wales is currently consulting on implementing such promotions restrictions; and Scotland has pledged to implement similar measures, but has not yet introduced legislation to make this happen.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Not taking action to reduce obesity rates now has a direct effect on cancer risk. We need governments to recognise the urgency of this issue. Delay means that more people will be at higher risk of cancers like breast, bowel and pancreatic cancer in the future. And it means that people from deprived areas will bear the brunt of this. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, we know that <\/span>most of the UK\u2019s biggest food brands could quite easily switch to marketing healthier options right now<\/span><\/a> if they were made to. Supermarkets are also ready to make this change. Both Tesco and Sainsbury\u2019s have confirmed that they will go ahead with the original October 2022 deadline to see an end to multi-buy deals on junk food. But other retailers have not yet volunteered to follow suit.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to UK health, we need timely government action to bring about wider change to our environment; making it plausible for families in all areas to eat well and have a lower risk of serious diseases, like cancer.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Rachel Orritt is Inequalities Programme Lead at Cancer Research UK<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

More on this topic<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the third instalment of our series on health inequalities, where we explore the unfair and avoidable differences in cancer incidence and outcomes across society. Our last post looked at inequalities in smoking, and what needs to change to reduce smoking-related cancers. In this piece, we investigate diet inequality and its root causes with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44910,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28166\/revisions\/44910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}