VCAA Food Studies Food choices, health and wellbeing

Possible points for inclusion in the analysis of each of the social factors are as follows.

Income

• Income affects food choices because different foods cost different amounts, i.e. affordability of different food options.
• Lower-income areas have almost 2.5 times more unhealthy food outlets than higher-income areas.
• This means people in lower-income areas may often buy cheaper less nutritious foods that are higher in kilojoules.
• As a result, lower-income individuals may develop poor eating habits and consume more energy dense foods, leading to a higher prevalence of obesity and related lifestyle diseases.
• In lower-income areas, fresh and minimally processed foods are often hard to find, creating 'food deserts' where fruits, vegetables and other healthier minimally processed options are limited.
• Because of financial constraints, people in these areas may struggle to buy or find healthy foods and end up relying on cheaper, less nutritious options, potentially impacting their overall nutritional intake.
• Limited access to fresh and minimally processed foods can contribute to broader public health issues, increasing healthcare costs and exacerbating health disparities between different income groups.

Location and food accessibility and healthy eating

• There are more fast-food restaurants in lower-income suburbs, providing greater food choice for high-kilojoule food options.
• In wealthier suburbs, houses are usually on average within about 400 metres of a fresh food store, making it easier for individuals to buy a variety of fresh and minimally processed foods more often.
• In some lower-income suburbs, fresh food stores can be up to 14 kilometres away. This long distance means there are fewer fresh and minimally processed food options, which makes it more difficult for people to have a choice of nutritious foods to purchase, so they may rely more on unhealthy/kilojoule-dense options, potentially impacting their overall nutritional intake.
• This distance may lead to more food insecurity and cause people to rely more on kilojoule-dense foods which are more prevalent in lower-income suburbs and lead to increased risk of cardiovascular and other related lifestyle diseases.

Examples of suitable responses that included both an influence on food systems and an influence on food choices included:

• An activist group might protest their grievance to council members about a fast-food outlet in their area and campaign to reduce the fast-food retailing in their community. In this way consumers could impact the amount of discretionary foods available, meaning community members eat less discretionary foods such as hot chips.
• A resident group could protest the proposed placement of a convenience food store near schools. In response, the government might limit the amount of advertising allowed, which may reduce teenagers' exposure to that advertising, making them less likely to consume slurpees.
• There might be a social media campaign by a farmers' collective to highlight unfair payment for milk production, encouraging consumers to boycott supermarket milk.

Hot dogs and doughnuts are highly processed discretionary foods which are high in sugar, salt and saturated fats, or which contradict the third Australian dietary guideline. These energy dense foods induce stress and their regular consumption is found to be linked to increased feelings of anxiety and depression. Similarly, these foods cause an imbalance in the gut as their contributions fuel the bad bacteria to grow, as they lack virtually any prebiotics and are full of other outlined contents. This imbalance of the gut causes the serotonin production of the gut to dramatically decrease (The gut contributes ~95% of the body’s serotonin), this lack of serotonin creates instability in mood and decreases an individual’s mental health due to their regular consumption. Moreover, these foods shrink the hippocampus further emphasising impaired mental health.

Due to the energy dense profile of the hot dogs and Donuts this contributes to a high GI, which causes a fast digestion leaving the individual with low satiety and the likely potential to overeat, hence overconsume food. This overconsumption can lead to weight gain and the increased risk of obesity, and other lifestyle related diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, which decreases one’s quality of life and physical health. Similarly the imbalance of the bad bacteria these foods create in the gut decreases the gut’s ability to absorb nutrients and help in digestion, which can lead to abnormal discomfort and malnutrition. Moreover, this imbalance damages the gut’s ability to help in fighting pathogenic infection and sending signals to aid the immune system, hence decreasing the function of the immune system and making the individual more susceptible to illness.

Possible points for inclusion in the analysis:

• As they are not working, retirees may have more time than construction workers, so may be more likely to be able to cook a variety of different foods. This could be the reason retirees scored above the national average of 55, at 59.2, and the construction workers, with lower available time, scored 51.5.
• Retirees may have more time available because they are not working, so might take time to learn how to cook new food, expanding their meal repertoire. Therefore they are increasing the quality and variety in their diet, leading to better than the average Australian dietary habits (59.2 compared to average 55).
• Quantity: construction workers might be busy and get limited breaks to eat food during the day, so along with not having time to make food, they may choose on-the-go options, which are often discretionary, leading to poorer scores for their food habits compare to the average.

Possible responses included:

• Retirees may feel lonely without social interaction from work and consequently consume additional/extra food, such as chocolate bars, to cope with their feelings.
• Retirees may have more time so may put more effort into healthy, balanced meals that do not promote overconsumption. However, sometimes more time can come with more social engagements such as eating out, where restaurants may often have bigger portion sizes, so this may promote overconsumption.

Consumer activists may group together in an organisation and place pressure on governments or councils to promote advertising in schools or local public spaces which portrays the negative impacts of consuming sweetened drinks, helping to reduce the consumption of these drinks if more consumers are aware of their negative health impacts.

The following examples are extracts from high-scoring responses.

• One possible impact is that the producers of the sweetened drinks will recognise the consumer interest and adapt their product by reducing the sugar to better align with the values of consumers.
• Marketing and media part of the food system may need to change their tactics when pitching these drinks to customers as they are aware of the negative impacts of sugar intake or provide a sugar free option.

Social media can have both positive and negative effects in influencing the choices of young people, as young people are likely to naturally copy what they see on social media, and are susceptible to subconsciously creating links between certain products and what they see on social media.

Firstly, as Appetite stated, if young people perceive their contacts to be consuming a healthy diet, they too are more likely to consume more fruit and vegetables. This means that if a positive culture is created, many young people may eat very nutritiously. Conversely, social media can also have the opposite effect, creating an unhealthy culture of 'indulging in more junk food', if users believe their contacts are.

Additionally, social media celebrities or groups can endorse healthy products, which may influence their followers to do the same, thus influencing healthy habits. However, a celebrity or company may also endorse an unhealthy product, such as the AFL's brand deal with McDonalds, which creates a positive association between junk food and the brand, thus increasing unhealthy consumption.

Therefore, social media is a tool that can influence positive and negative choices.

Social media can allow people to be a part of a group, such as joining in on a hashtag e.g. #eatgreen that encourages communities to learn about the importance of eating vegetables for their nutritional benefits, e.g. fibre. Social media is a place where new outlets can spread information about food such as recent research to show that saturated fat can lead to numerous diseases, or information about food product recalls which can reach many people and positively shape community responses as they are aware of any contaminated foods.

An individual may see a post by a famous chef such as Gordan Ramsey on Instagram, and attempt to recreate it. Successful recreation may promote a sense of confidence, pride and improved self-esteem as they share their success on social media.

The following examples are extracts from high-scoring responses:

• Social media influencers: influencers through social media may be encouraging their followers to try these new vegan and vegetarian diets as they claim they are more nutritious and healthy for the body. Viewers could be influenced, due to wanting to be like the influencer and changed to a vegan or vegetarian diet.
• The media, such as the television news, are increasing reports on climate change and the positive impact that a vegan or vegetarian diet can have on it. This persuades Australians to partake in plant based eating as they feel they can trust the news reporters.

Due to the growing trend of vegetarian or vegan diets, more individuals may be increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables. Increasing the intake of these foods, which are high in antioxidants and fibre, would help reduce gut inflammation and support gut health. A healthier gut supports adequate hormone production, reducing stress. However, individuals following a vegan diet might struggle to consume adequate iron if removing foods such as chicken, fish and lean read meat without replacing them with a suitable plant-based alternative. If individuals follow the ‘growing trend’ and make changes to their diet without professional advice, it could therefore lead to iron deficiency and lower energy levels or other unintended health issues.