Some highly regarded research has looked into how income, education level, and perceived price effect what Americans choose to eat, as well as the overall diet of the U.S. adult population. The data came from a survey of a nationally representative group of more than 4,300 Americans 20 to 65 years old.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reported the following key findings:

• There are considerable ethnic and gender differences in the association between socio-economic status, perceived barrier of food price, perceived benefit of diet quality and dietary intake.

• Income constraints on individuals and families can lead to a poorer quality diet. When buying food, African-Americans with lower incomes saw food price as more important than Whites with the same income level did.

• Caucasians of lower socio-economic status ate more fat and saturated fat. African-Americans showed no association between income level and fat intake.

• Among all study participants, and independent of income, the perceived barrier of food price appears to increase sodium intake while reducing fiber intake.

• Perceived benefit of diet quality was directly related to better nutritional behavior, including consuming foods less in saturated fat and eating more fiber, fruits and vegetables. Compared to men, women were more concerned about meeting food guidelines in order to improve their health.

• Women had lower energy, energy density, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium intake than men. Yet, men had higher intake of fruits and vegetables, fiber, calcium and dairy products, particularly because they consumed more food.

The Bloomberg School of Public Health, dedicated to protecting health and saving lives, is the oldest and largest school of public health in the world. Its 445 full-time and 602 part-time faculty pursue research in 40 countries; its 13,500 alumni lead research institutes, academic centers, hospitals, and health systems worldwide; and its 1,617 students hail from 78 nations. The school, consistently rated No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report, receives 23% of all federal research funds awarded to the 28 U.S. schools of public health.

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