Why don't low-income households purchase fruits and vegetables? Findings from African American communities in Nashville metro areas of Tennessee

Abstract

Low-income households and minority communities in the US are considered highly vulnerable to diet-and nutrition-related adverse health effects. Households' food-related decisions may entail real or perceived tradeoffs among price, preference, access and availability, and other factors. We use a sample of low-income households, mostly from African American communities, from the Nashville metropolitan area of Tennessee to assess fruit and vegetable purchasing behavior. We found that the vast majority of household shops for fruits and vegetables (F&Vs) less than two to three times per month. Using probit and nested logit models, we analyzed purchase decisions and investigated reasons and factors determining “not to buy” F&Vs by low-income households.