Scotland's health--a more difficult challenge for some? The price and availability of healthy foods in socially contrasting localities in the west of Scotland

Abstract

The recent White Paper, 'Scotland's Health: A Challenge To Us All', emphasises the importance of lifestyle factors, such as smoking, diet and exercise, in Scotland's poor health record. Targets are to be set for improvements in diet, and individuals will be encouraged to improve their eating habits. In this paper we suggest that attention should be given to the price and availability of healthy foods, particularly in socio-economically deprived areas. To illustrate the possible importance of this, we present findings from a small exploratory study of two socially contrasting and non-contiguous localities in Glasgow which indicates that price disincentives to eating healthy may be greater in poorer than in more affluent areas.