Beslenme maliyetinin karşılanmasında gıda enflasyonunun tüketici davranışlarına etkisinin gıda güvencesi ve seçimlerine göre değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

In the accessibility dimension of food security, food prices and the affordability of the dietary cost represent the two main barriers for low-income at-risk groups, which also influence their food choices. Regarding the stability dimension, high food inflation poses a risk to the continuity of food security. The aim of the study is to evaluate the behavioural effects of high inflation according to food security status, its impact on food choice motives, and the relationship between the dietary cost to income ratio and food security. In preparation for hypothesis testing, the Turkish adaptation of the Single-item Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) underwent translation-back translation, an expert panel review, cognitive debriefing, test (n=350), and a retest (n=50). The 11 paired dimensions of the single-item version with the multi-item version of the BST showed correlations ranging from 0.43 to 0.65, while the retest resulted intra-class correlation coefficients between 0.58 and 0.80 (p<0.001). Based on the food prices collected for the basket model created according to food groups for a 2400 kcal diet, the minimum monthly cost was calculated as 1139 TL (59,01$). The 55-item pool for assessing the impact of food inflation on consumer behaviour was reduced to 41 items through expert panel review, and the pilot study (n=215) led to the final version of The Impact of Food inflation on Consumer Behaviour (IFI-ConB) scale, consisting of three factors: food consumption patterns (FCP, 6 items), food shopping behaviours (FSB, 6 items), and food purchasing motives (FPM, 5 items). During the main data collection (n=668), the dietary cost to income ratio (DCIM) for the moderate to severe food insecure group (47.6%) was 16%, while it was 20.3% for the food secure group (52.4%) (p<0.001). It was determined that a DCIM exceeding 11.1% is a risk factor for food insecurity (p<0.001), and the cut-off value sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were found to be 47%, 38%, and 43%, respectively, in the decision matrix. Participants reported the behavioural effects of food inflation in the following order: FSB (1.56±0.84), FPM (1.02±0.81), and FCP (0.72±0.66). The food secure group reported a higher impact of inflation on the IFI-ConB scale and the FCP, FSB, and FPM factors with the highest effect sizes observed for skipping snacks (0.50), skipping meal (0.48), and consumption diversity (0.48) between the two groups (p<0.001). As the level of behavioural impact of food inflation increased, the price motive in food choice also increased (r=0.38, p=0.01). The most distinctive food choice motive identified was price, which was found to be more significant in the group with moderate to severe food insecurity (Cohen's d =0.46, p<0.001). Food insecure groups have been shown to be more vulnerable to dietary cost and food inflation, attempting to regulate their choices and consumer behaviours. It is essential to develop appropriate policies by effectively assessing individuals' food security status and consumer behaviours in a high inflation environment.