Factors Influencing Expenditure on Unhealthy Foods Among the Urban Poor in Malaysia

Abstract

Consumption of unhealthy foods possesses harmful effects on health, thereby increasing the disease burden. If low-income people, especially those living in urban areas, do not make efforts to reduce their consumption on unhealthy foods, the health‒economic costs borne by them will rise. To date, there is a growing number of Malaysian studies that examine factors affecting consumption expenditure on unhealthy foods, but none has paid attention to the urban poor. The objective of this study is to narrow this research gap. Cross-sectional data from the South East Asia Obesogenic Food Environment (SEAOFE) study was used. A seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) model was utilised to estimate the effects of sociodemographic and health factors on expenditure of oil and fats, processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic drinks. Findings showed that income and household size were positively associated with expenditure on unhealthy foods. Individuals who were between 61 and 70 years old had higher expenditure on unhealthy foods than their younger counterparts. The Chinese spent less on certain unhealthy foods compared to the Malays. Being employed, having tertiary-level education, being married and living with chronic diseases increased spending on unhealthy foods. These findings suggest that the Malaysian government should consider increasing the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and using health campaigns to educate the urban poor about the risks of unhealthy foods.