Low-income households that receive maximum food assistance benefits usually can afford a healthy diet; others may have more difficulty.

A small percentage of U.S. households live in “food deserts,†where access to a supermarket or large grocery store is a problem. Low-income households often leave food deserts to shop where food prices are lower. Business costs, along with characteristics of potential customers, affect...

Americans are increasingly overweight, with the number of obese adults and overweight children doubling between the late 1970s and early 2000s. Several studies of the health consequences of Americans’ weight gain indicate that health care costs and the number of premature deaths...