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Citing evidence linking low income with higher rates of obesity, epidemiology and health experts suggest that the current economic crisis could ultimately fuel the nation's obesity epidemic, MSNBC.com reports. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that food prices will climb by 6 percent this year and that many families facing unemployment or tightened budgets might turn to cheaper foods that are often less healthy. According to a survey released last week by Hormel Foods Corp., nearly 60 percent of Americans reported cutting back on the quality or quantity of food purchases. "The very cheapest foods are calorie-rich and nutrient-poor," says an epidemiology professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, adding that such foods are easily accessible and taste good due to their high fat and sugar content. Judith Wylie-Rosett, Ed.D., R.D., a professor of epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, estimates that a person would spend three times as much to eat the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day than for a diet dependent on processed foods. Families who currently include little fresh produce in their meals are not likely to change amid fast-food marketing campaigns and increased financial strain, Wylie-Rosett notes, and others may turn to unhealthy convenience foods as a comfort during emotionally trying times. Given these factors, some researchers expect to see an increase in obesity rates within three years. But some consumers are maintaining healthy habits while cutting costs by cooking at home or reducing food waste, and an economist at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro predicts that several health markers could actually improve during a recession as some individuals forgo indulgences and cut back on smoking and alcohol consumption (Aleccia, MSNBC.com, 10/30/08).