Measures, Spatial Profile and Determinants of Dietary Diversity: Evidence from India

35 Pages Posted: 23 Oct 2014 Last revised: 21 Dec 2014

See all articles by Mousumi Das

Mousumi Das

National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER); National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)

Date Written: July 5, 2014

Abstract

Food security policies in developing countries generally focus on calorie intake, which is not sufficient to tackle the triple burden of malnutrition: undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies and over-nutrition. Consumption of a diverse diet is important to lessen the burden and is constrained by different factors. This paper using nationally representative dataset from India, analyzes the determinants of dietary diversity, which is measured using the Entropy index. Heterogeneous dietary diversity profile across adjoining regions highlights the persistence of uneven development in terms of consumption and health indicators. We find that level of consumption expenditure, quality adjusted prices of food items, educational attainment and information dissemination are important factors that affect the household’s consumption of a diverse diet. As one moves away from towns dietary diversity improves. Large size landholders need not necessarily consume a diverse diet as expected. Our findings call for convergence in policy targeting across agriculture, health and nutrition sectors.

Keywords: Dietary Diversity, Quality-adjusted prices, Food Policy, Quantile regression, India

JEL Classification: D12, O10, Q18, C21

Suggested Citation

Das, Mousumi, Measures, Spatial Profile and Determinants of Dietary Diversity: Evidence from India (July 5, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2511823 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2511823

Mousumi Das (Contact Author)

National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) ( email )

Parisila Bhawan
11 - Indraprastha Estate
New Delhi, 110002
India

National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) ( email )

Parisila Bhawan
11 - Indraprastha Estate
New Delhi, 110002
India

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