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Does Amount and Kind of Food Bought by a Household Vary by Indices of Wealth in Nepal?
Author(s) -
Biehl E,
Manohar S,
Rajbhandary R,
Shrestha R,
Klemm R,
West K
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.585.12
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , micronutrient , geography , socioeconomics , toxicology , biology , environmental health , medicine , economics , population , pathology
Increasing household income may increase the purchase of micronutrient‐dense fruits, vegetables, and animal foods in low income countries, but evidence supporting this link is limited. Using data from 4,286 households (HH) assessed in a national survey of 21 Village Development Committees across 3 agro‐ecological zones in Nepal (May‐Jul 2013), we assessed associations between HH wealth (socioeconomic status quintiles) and expenditure on specific foods. Results were stratified by zone, sex of head of HH and maternal education, tested by the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Reported median (IQR) monthly food expenditure was USD$60 (34‐104), with $17 (4‐35) spent on staples; $10 (3‐20) on meat; $8 (3‐16) on fruits & vegetables; $5 (3‐8) on oils; $3 (0‐7) on legumes; $2 (0.7‐4) on snacks; $0 (0‐1) on eggs; $0 (0‐5) on dairy; $4 (2‐10) on alcohol, soda, juice, sugar, and tea, inclusive. In HHs above the highest vs lowest wealth quintiles, staples expenditure was higher in HHs headed by males (p=.0006), located in the mountains (p<.01), and with women with no (p<.01) or secondary education (p=.02). Expenditure on fruits & vegetables, meats, dairy, and eggs was higher in HHs above the highest vs below the lowest quintile, across each stratum of zone, sex of head of HH and education. While changes in staple purchases between wealth groups varied by zone and HH factors; fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meats were more likely to be purchased by HHs of greatest vs least wealth in all zones and by all factors, suggesting a need for ways to enable poorer HHs to access nutritious foods via market purchases. Supported by USAID through the Nutrition Innovation Lab (prime Tufts Univ) and a Borlaug Fellowship through Purdue University's Center for Global Food Security.