Changing Diet along Economic Development and its Effects on Health

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K03472
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Meiji Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: OMURA Makiko 明治学院大学, 経済学部, 教授 (80397835)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 食と健康 / 経済発展 / 食のグローバル化 / 情報と消費行動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research analysed the increasingly westernised and industrialised diet along with economic development and its effects on health among different food cultures. Everyday food and diet are surveyed in 12 countries that vary in terms of the level of economic development and food culture. While the modernisation and globalisation of food were seen everywhere despite their different economic levels, diversity of food rooted in their unique culture was also observed. The analysis showed that food information and price significantly affect consumers’ choice. A cross-sectional study on the impact of food on health is underway.

Free Research Field

経済政策

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

“We are what we eat（我々は食により作られる）”と言われ、健康的な食生活が推奨される中、我々の食生活が経済発展に伴って実際にどのように変遷してきたのか、特に様々な食材が国境を行きかう現在において、消費者がどのように食を選択し、またそうした食の選択が健康をどのように影響を与えてきているのかを客観的データにより知ることは、我々の厚生（健康寿命）及び社会政策（医療費抑制等）にとり意義がある。分析から、食に関する情報や価格が我々の食の選択に大きく影響することも示唆されたが、今後の食料品に関する情報提供のあり方を模索する上でも有用であろう。