The Socioeconomic Disparities in Intakes and Purchases of Less-Healthy Foods and Beverages Have Changed over Time in Urban Mexico

Background: To our knowledge, the association between diet and socioeconomic status (SES), using both purchase and intake data, in the Mexican population has not been examined, which is particularly important given the high prevalence of diet-related diseases in Mexico. Objective: Our objective was to examine the SES-diet relation using household food purchases and individual food intake data. Methods: We analyzed purchases of packaged food and beverages of 5240 households with the use of the 20122014 Nielsen Mexico Consumer Panel Service Dataset, representative of urban areas. Likewise, we examined 9672 individuals over 2 y with food and beverage intake information collected using a single 24-h recall as part of the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012. Multivariate linear regression models were conducted to predict per capita daily purchases and intakes of food and beverages classified as healthy and less healthy by SES, and adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Results: Per capita daily purchases of healthy and less-healthy foods were, on average, 142% and 55% higher in high-than in low-SES households, respectively, from 2012 to 2014 (P < 0.05). Intakes of healthy and less-healthy foods in urban areas were, on average, 7% and 136% higher in high-than in low-SES groups (P < 0.05). Per capita daily purchases of healthy beverages were, on average, 56% higher in high-than in low-SES households from 2012 to 2014 (P < 0.05), whereas purchases of less-healthy beverages were 27% and 17% higher in low-than in high-SES households in 2012 and 2014, respectively (P < 0.05). Per capita daily intake of healthy beverages was 33% higher in high-than in low-SES groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Higher-SES groups from urban areas had greater purchases and intakes of less-healthy foods and healthy beverages. Lower-SES households had greater purchases of less-healthy beverages, but also had the largest reduction in these purchases from 2012 to 2014, which could be associated with the beverage tax implemented in Mexico in 2014.