Food Choices in the Context of Globalizing Food Options among Adolescents in Rural Southern India

The Interplay of Dietary Habits, Economic Factors, and Globalization: Assessing the Role of Institutional Quality

BACKGROUND

Dietary habits are pivotal for population health and well-being, yet remain a pressing global issue, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where economic instability and institutional challenges exacerbate dietary problems. Despite extensive research, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the direct and interactive effects of institutional quality and inflationary shocks on dietary habits.

METHODS

This study delves into these complex interplays across 44 SSA nations from 2002 to 2022. Employing an innovative entropy method (EM) and the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) modeling, the study introduces an inclusive institutional quality index and an inflationary shock predictor as crucial determinants of dietary habits in the literature.

RESULTS

The results from the panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) method and feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) model reveal that per capita GDP, school enrollment rate, government expenditures, globalization index, and urbanization are positively associated with population dietary habits, while inflationary shock, food insecurity, and unemployment rate exert negative influences. Notably, institutional quality acts as a catalyst, amplifying the positive effects of the former group and absorbing the negative impacts of the latter on population dietary habits. Additionally, a dynamic panel causality analysis confirms a bidirectional causality nexus between population dietary habits and all variables, except for inflationary shocks, which demonstrate a unidirectional causality link.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings carry significant policy implications, underscoring the complex dynamics between institutional quality, inflationary shocks, and dietary habits in the region. The bidirectional causality highlights the need for holistic interventions that address economic, social, and institutional factors simultaneously. Moreover, the unidirectional causality of inflationary shocks on dietary habits suggests that stabilizing inflation is critical to protecting dietary habits. These results provide critical insights for policymakers to design targeted interventions aimed at improving nutrition, bolstering institutional frameworks, and ensuring public health resilience in the face of economic and social shocks.

Demographic Dynamics and the Changing Faces of Nutrition Literacy in India: A Tryst with the Transition among Communities Over Two Decades

Aims and Objective

The development of a nation depends on well-nourished individuals. A country's economic independence also depends on adequate food supply for all sections of its population and the proper selection of the right kinds of food, called nutritional literacy. This review will show the transition of dietary selection and practices across India over the last two decades and its impact on health.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a literature search to review the evidence of the last two decades. The literature search was done using the PubMed search engine and the MeSH words "Nutrition Literacy, Dietary Practices, Diet Transition, Nutrition transition, India and Food pattern." Evidence from the last two decades was collectively reviewed, and observations on the transition in nutrition literacy were summated.

Results

The literature search revealed 18 articles, out of which 13 articles were included in this review based on inclusion-exclusion criteria. Nine were review articles, and five were cross-sectional studies. The studies done over the last two decades on nutrition culture revealed that most of the studies related to transition have been done during the second decade of the twenty-first century. Most have found that the shift has been happening more among the urban poor and rural rich people. Indian diets have diversified and shifted away from cereals towards processed food.

Conclusion

It was found that there is a shift in feeding preferences in diet-deprived sections in India. The findings are similar in rural and urban areas where the poor fall prey to the food fads, make poor nutrition choices, and gradually develop chronic ailments. Such a transition over the years clearly shows that a malnourished child, having faulty feeding practices, becomes prey to the triple burden of hidden hunger, lack of nutrition, and repercussions of chronic non-communicable diseases, including dental ailments.