Food Choices and Their Impact on Health and Environment

• Main Authors: Katarzyna Szalonka, Elżbieta Stańczyk, Anna Gardocka-Jałowiec, Paweł Waniowski, Agata Niemczyk, Zofia Gródek-Szostak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: environment; sustainable consumption; food choices; health; decision trees; classification trees
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/17/5460

Food choices are complex and highly variable, even over short periods, as they are influenced by numerous psychological, social, and cultural factors, in addition to biological and economic ones. Consumer choices are increasingly complex because of the growing quantity and variety of available food products, which also affects individuals’ environments. This paper is part of a larger study on health-related food choices, and it discusses how food choices affect the environment. To achieve the research goal, classes of respondents that are homogeneous in their food choices were identified. The authors used an algorithm to build classification trees and found that health status is determined by respondents’ age and food consumption habits. The paper demonstrates that understanding individual nutritional choices is a prerequisite for changing consumption habits and shaping healthy behavior, which is in line with the principle of sustainable development through sustainable consumption. The findings are relevant to public health researchers and practitioners who wish to understand the relationship between nutritional practices and health in line with sustainable development.