Racial and ethnic differences in diet quality by education level: Diminished returns

Authors

• Chelsea R. Singleton, Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Ana Peralta-Garcia, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Danielle J. Gartner, Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Kaustubh V. Parab, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow
• Isa Adamu, Department of Kinesiology & Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.
• Oluwafikayo S. Adeyemi-Benson, Department of Kinesiology & Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.
• Caryn N. Bell, Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Recommended Citation

Singleton CR, Peralta-Garcia A, Gartner DJ, et al. Racial and Ethnic Differences in Diet Quality by Education Level: Diminished Returns. Prev Chronic Dis. 2026;23:E39. Published 2026 Sep 3. doi:10.5888/pcd23.260004

Affiliations

Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center

Abstract

Higher education is correlated with healthy eating, which prevents chronic disease. Recent evidence suggests that racial and ethnic minority populations with higher education levels consume fewer healthy foods than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. We analyzed data on 19,591 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2018). Linear regression models identified racial and ethnic differences in Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 scores within categories of education level. Non-Hispanic Black adults with a bachelor's degree or higher had lower HEI-2015 scores (β = -1.69; SE = 0.79; P = .03) compared with non-Hispanic White adults with the same education level. These findings suggest that non-Hispanic Black populations in the US may experience diminished returns on educational investment.

Document Type

Article

PubMed ID

42691036