Lower income households are at greater risk of food insecurity and poor diet quality than higher income households. In high-income countries, food insecurity is associated with high levels of obesity, and in the UK specifically, the cost of living crisis (i.e., where the cost of everyday essentials has increased quicker than wages) is likely to have exacerbated existing dietary inequalities. There is currently a lack of understanding of the impact of the current UK cost of living crisis on food purchasing and food preparation practices of people living with obesity (PLWO) and food insecurity, however this knowledge is critical in order to develop effective prevention and treatment approaches to reducing dietary inequalities. Using an online survey (N = 583) of adults residing in England or Scotland with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m, participants self-reported on food insecurity, diet quality, perceived impact of the cost of living crisis, and their responses to this in terms of food purchasing behaviours and food preparation practices. Regression analyses found that participants adversely impacted by the cost of living crisis reported experiencing food insecurity. Additionally, food insecurity was associated with use of specific purchasing behaviours (i.e., use of budgeting, use of supermarket offers) and food preparation practices (i.e., use of energy-saving appliances, use of resourcefulness). Exploratory analyses indicated that participants adversely impacted by the cost of living crisis and who used budgeting had low diet quality, whereas use of meal planning was associated with high diet quality. These findings highlight the fragility of food budgets and the coping strategies used by PLWO and food insecurity during the cost of living crisis. Policy measures and interventions are urgently needed that address the underlying economic factors contributing to food insecurity, to improve access to and affordability of healthier foods for all.

中文翻译：

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生活成本危机和粮食不安全对肥胖人群的食品购买行为和食品制备方法的影响

低收入家庭比高收入家庭面临更大的粮食不安全和饮食质量差的风险。在高收入国家，粮食不安全与高肥胖率相关，特别是在英国，生活成本危机（即日常必需品的成本增长快于工资）可能会加剧现有的饮食不平等。目前，人们对当前英国生活成本危机对肥胖者 (PLWO) 和粮食不安全人群的食品购买和食品准备做法的影响缺乏了解，但这一知识对于制定有效的预防和治疗措施至关重要减少饮食不平等的方法。对居住在英格兰或苏格兰且体重指数 (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m 的成年人进行在线调查 (N = 583)，参与者自我报告粮食不安全、饮食质量、生活成本危机的感知影响，以及他们在食品购买行为和食品准备实践方面对此的反应。回归分析发现，受到生活成本危机不利影响的参与者报告称经历了粮食不安全。此外，粮食不安全与特定购买行为（即使用预算、使用超市优惠）和食品准备做法（即使用节能电器、使用智谋）有关。探索性分析表明，受到生活成本危机不利影响且使用预算的参与者饮食质量较低，而使用膳食计划的参与者饮食质量较高。这些发现突显了粮食预算的脆弱性以及感染者艾滋病毒感染者和生活成本危机期间粮食不安全所采用的应对策略。迫切需要采取政策措施和干预措施来解决导致粮食不安全的根本经济因素，以改善所有人获得和负担更健康食品的机会。