Taking dietary habits into account: A computational method for modeling food choices that goes beyond price.

ABSTRACT: Computational models have gained popularity as a predictive tool for assessing proposed policy changes affecting dietary choice. Specifically, they have been used for modeling dietary changes in response to economic interventions, such as price and income changes. Herein, we present a novel addition to this type of model by incorporating habitual behaviors that drive individuals to maintain or conform to prior eating patterns. We examine our method in a simulated case study of food choice behaviors of low-income adults in the US. We use data from several national datasets, including the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the USDA, to parameterize our model and develop predictive capabilities in 1) quantifying the influence of pr

SUBMITTER: Beheshti R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5460917 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature