Socioeconomic, Demographic and Geographic Factors Affecting Household Food Purchase and Acquisition Decisions in the United States as a Complex Economic System

Senarath Dharmasena, David Bessler () and Jessica Todd

No 235646, 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: Socioeconomic, demographic and geographic factors affecting food purchase and acquisition decisions by the individuals and households in the United States are complex. Twenty two variables associated with socioeconomic, demographic and geographic factors affecting food purchase and acquisition decisions are studied in an algorithm that involve machine learning and causality structures to uncover complex causality patterns associated with such variables. Several publically available data sets as well as most recently collected USDA data, Food APS are used in this study. Preliminary analyses show that unemployment, poverty and race are direct causes of food insecurity, while income causes food insecurity via poverty. Unemployment is a common cause for both food insecurity and poverty. This modeling effort will help improve the nation’s path for effective nutrition and health-related policy interventions as stipulated by USDA-Economic Research Service Strategic Goals.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; Health Economics and Policy; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea16:235646

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.235646

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