The role of dwelling type on food expenditure: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2015-2016 Australian Household Expenditure Survey

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:sec id="S1368980020002785_as1" sec-type="other"> <jats:title>Objective:</jats:title> <jats:p>To explore differences in proportion of food budget and total food expenditure by dwelling type.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec id="S1368980020002785_as2" sec-type="other"> <jats:title>Design:</jats:title> <jats:p>A cross-sectional study using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2015–2016 Household Expenditure Survey. Food expenditure was examined on multiple categories: fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, pre-prepared meals, meals in restaurants, hotels and clubs, and fast food and takeaway meals, using two-part models and zero-one inflated beta regression models. Dwelling types were categorised as separate house, semi-detached house, low-rise apartment and high-rise apartment.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec id="S1368980020002785_as3" sec-type="other"> <jats:title>Setting:</jats:title> <jats:p>Australia, 2015–2016.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec id="S1368980020002785_as4" sec-type="other"> <jats:title>Participants:</jats:title> <jats:p>Seven thousand three hundred and fifty-eight households from greater capital city areas.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec id="S1368980020002785_as5" sec-type="other"> <jats:title>Results:</jats:title> <jats:p>Households living in high-rise apartments were estimated to allocate a greater proportion of their food budget to meals in restaurants, hotels and clubs, and to spend more (actual dollars) on that category, compared with other dwelling types. No substantial differences were estimated in the proportion of food budget allocated to the other food categories across dwelling types.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec id="S1368980020002785_as6" sec-type="other"> <jats:title>Conclusions:</jats:title> <jats:p>The dwelling type households live in may play a role in their food budget. Households living in a high-rise apartment may potentially spend more on meals in restaurants, hotels and clubs than those liv