Volume 7, Issue 3 (Suppl)
J Obes Weight Loss Ther, an open access journal
ISSN: 2165-7904
Childhood Obesity & Bariatric Surgery 2017
June 12-13, 2017
Page 26
Notes:
conference
series
.com
June 12-13, 2017 Rome, Italy
&
Childhood Obesity and Nutrition
10
th
International Conference on
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
2
nd
International Conference on
JOINT EVENT
Cost of a healthy food basket
Statement of the Problem:
Children of low income households eat less well and have higher rates of childhood obesity and
associated risks. Childhood obesity tracks into adulthood. Food is often a flexible component of the family budget as they can
satisfy their hunger with cheaper, less nutritious food. This research uses an approach that identifies and costs a basket that is
both socially acceptable and nutritionally adequate. One in ten people are experiencing food poverty in Ireland.
Methodology and Theoretical orientation:
A minimum essential standard (MIS) approach was used to estimate the income
needed to afford a weekly food basket that the six households studied agreed as a minimum (for urban and rural settings). The
study also estimated the % spend on food relative to other items of expenditure.
Findings:
The cost of the food Basket was more expensive for the majority of rural households compared to urban (Table 1).
Food was found to be the biggest area of expenditure in both rural and urban households, the food basket accounted for up to
36% of total income.
Conclusions & Significance:
The cost of the food basket depends on household composition. Food costs rise as children grow
older and this has potential health significance. Meat fruit and vegetables took up the largest share of the costs. Households on
state benefits spend a larger percentage of take home income on food than households with an employed adult.
Biography
Cliodhna Foley-Nolan is a Director of Human Health and Nutrition at Safefood. She directs the public health and nutrition functions of the organization. She completed her
Medical degree at University College Cork (UCC) Ireland; a Master’s degree in Public Health at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland and; is a Fellow of the Faculty of
Public Health of Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. She has worked at consultant level in Public Health Medicine in the Health Services Executive, and is a specialist in
the areas of health promotion and foodborne infectious disease. She is a Senior Lecturer at UCC and is a Trainer and Examiner at Royal College of Physicians in Ireland.
She has served on many national advisory groups including those on the National Strategy for the Control of Antimicrobial Resistance, the National AIDS Advisory Group
and the National Healthy Eating Guidelines group.
cfoleynolan@safefood.euCliodhna Foley-Nolan
Safefood, Ireland
Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, J Obes Weight Loss Ther 2017, 7:3 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7904-C1-044