# Health Shock Effects on Diet: More Severe Shock—Stronger Response?

## TL;DR

This study explores how the severity of health shocks influences changes in diet, finding that severe shocks lead to stronger dietary responses than mild ones.

## Contribution

The study introduces the concept of self-selection in dietary responses to health shocks, which may affect interpretation of health interventions.

## Key findings

- Severe health shocks lead to larger dietary changes compared to mild ones.
- Individuals previously exposed to mild shocks show minimal dietary change after a severe shock.
- Ignoring self-selection may mislead conclusions about the effectiveness of severe health shocks on diet.

## Abstract

We investigate whether the severity of lifestyle‐related health shocks affects the response in dietary patterns. Using data from official patient registers in Denmark, we analyze the effects from strong health shock (SHS) occurrences (cardiovascular disease) and mild health shock (MHS) occurrences (arterial hypertension and hypercholesterolemia). These data are combined with scanner data on food purchases obtained from a consumer panel. Our analysis examines dietary effects stemming from these health shocks, including various nutrients, food groups, and overall adherence to dietary guidelines. Our findings reveal immediate dietary responses to both severe and mild health shocks, with a larger effect observed for SHS compared to MHS. However, among individuals previously exposed to mild health shocks, we observe minimal to no alteration in food consumption after experiencing a SHS. We argue that failing to account for this potential self‐selection may lead to a misconception that severe health shocks do not result in dietary improvements.