Zheng Manli, Cai Rong, Zhang Li, Xu Ke
Institute of Food and Strategic Reserves, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing, China.
School of Economics and Management, Lu'An Vocational Technical College, Lu'An, China.
Front Nutr. 2025 Jul 8;12:1620134. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1620134. eCollection 2025.
This study investigates the dynamic effects of household refrigerator ownership on dietary patterns and the risk of overweight and obesity. The objective is to offer policy guidance for developing countries that are facing health challenges during their nutritional transition.
This study utilizes six waves of tracking data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS, 1997-2011, = 16,665). To address the estimation bias caused by endogeneity, the Control Function approach is employed. Furthermore, to elucidate the pathways through which refrigerator ownership influences overweight and obesity, a three-stage mediation model is used to assess the mediating effects of food purchases and processed food consumption on these outcomes.
Refrigerator ownership significantly increases daily calorie intake by 39.1%. The ratios of energy derives from fat and protein rose by 0.104 and 0.018 percentage points, respectively, while the carbohydrate energy ratio decreases by 0.12 percentage points, indicating a shift towards a higher energy-dense diet. The mediating mechanism tests identify two pathways: an increased intake of high-fat and high-protein foods due to larger purchases and a rise in the consumption of processed foods. Health effects exhibit considerable heterogeneity; the risk of overweight increases with income, and the impact on older individuals is significantly greater than that on younger groups. Additionally, males face more than double the risk of obesity compared to females.
Refrigerator ownership significantly alters the dietary energy structure and raises the risk of overweight and obesity. These insights hold substantial theoretical and practical value in balancing technological advancements with public health objectives.
本研究调查家用冰箱拥有情况对饮食模式以及超重和肥胖风险的动态影响。目的是为在营养转型过程中面临健康挑战的发展中国家提供政策指导。
本研究利用了中国健康与营养调查（CHNS，1997 - 2011年，n = 16665）的六轮跟踪数据。为解决内生性导致的估计偏差，采用了控制函数法。此外，为阐明冰箱拥有情况影响超重和肥胖的途径，使用三阶段中介模型评估食品购买量和加工食品消费对这些结果的中介作用。
拥有冰箱使每日卡路里摄入量显著增加39.1%。来自脂肪和蛋白质的能量比例分别上升了0.104和0.018个百分点，而碳水化合物能量比例下降了0.12个百分点，这表明饮食结构向更高能量密度转变。中介机制检验确定了两条途径：由于购买量增加导致高脂肪和高蛋白食物摄入量增加，以及加工食品消费的增加。健康影响存在显著的异质性；超重风险随收入增加而上升，对老年人的影响明显大于年轻人。此外，男性肥胖风险是女性的两倍多。
拥有冰箱显著改变了饮食能量结构并增加了超重和肥胖风险。这些见解在平衡技术进步与公共卫生目标方面具有重要的理论和实践价值。
