Significance

Obesity and diabetes are very serious public health problems in the United States of America. According to the CDC, 42.2% of American citizens were obese in the year 2017. (18) This number equates to over 138 million Americans with obesity. The CDC also reports over 30 million citizens with Type 2 Diabetes in 2018 alone. (19) Other than the health-related downsides of obesity and diabetes, the United States government spends a total of 517 billion US dollars per year, treating these two chronic diseases. (21)(22) The main causes linked to both obesity and diabetes are related to diets and exercise. It is extremely evident that there needs to be a dietary intervention, however in order to make a dietary intervention, the types of diets themselves have to be known, and the process by which people make their food choices also must be known. Interventions would save lives and money. This research would fill major gaps in the field as the diets in different areas and food choice processes remain unknown. With new information surrounding why people purchase the foods that they purchase, communities can reconstruct more efficiently and effectively. As food is one of the determinants of health, anything that helps scientists understand this determinant more thoroughly will help the public good.