Nutrition Research and Practice

The Korean Nutrition Society (한국영양학회)
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Socio-economic disparity in food consumption among young children in eight South Asian and Southeast Asian countries

  • Kang, Yunhee (International Health Department, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health) ;
  • Park, Chulwoo (Department of Public Health and Recreation, San Jose State University) ;
  • Young, Anna Marie Pacheco (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Jihye (Department of Medical Nutrition, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University)
  • Received : 2021.07.13
  • Accepted : 2021.11.21
  • Published : 2022.08.01
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Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined socio-economic differences in diverse food consumption among children 6-23 months of age in South Asia and Southeast Asian countries. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data from Demographic and Health Surveys in four countries in South Asia (n = 15,749) and four countries in Southeast Asia (n = 10,789) were used. Survey-design adjusted proportions were estimated for the following 10 food items: grains, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV), vitamin A-rich fruits, vitamin A-rich vegetables, other fruits and vegetables (OFV), fish, meat, dairy, and eggs. An equity gap was defined as an arithmetic difference in the proportion of each food item consumed in the past 24-hours between the wealthiest and lowest quintiles and between rural and urban areas, denoted by percentage points (pp). RESULTS: The consumption of most of the 10 food items was higher in the wealthiest quintiles and urban areas across eight countries. The size of equity gaps was greater in Southeast Asia than in South Asia, particularly for vitamin A-rich fruits (3.3-30.0 pp vs. 0.3-19.6 pp), vitamin A-rich vegetables (12.1-26.7 pp vs. 2.4-5.9 pp), meat (17.7-33.4 pp vs. 3.4-13.4 pp), and dairy (14.7-32.5 pp vs. 3.3-11.4 pp). However, the size of equity gap in egg consumption was greater in Southeast Asia than South Asia (11.2-19.8 pp vs. 11.0-26.7 pp). Relatively narrower gaps were seen in the consumption of grains (0.3-12.9 pp), DGLV (0.6-12.4 pp), and fish (0.1-16.8 pp) across all countries. CONCLUSIONS: Equity gaps in food consumption differed by socio-economic status and region. Reducing equity gaps in nutrient-rich foods and utilizing regionally available food resources may increase child dietary quality.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We gratefully acknowledge Yoonho Cho, Jaehwan Kim, Young Go, Soonyoung Choi, and Jin Baik from World Vision Korea, and Dr. Jinho Lim, kindly for reviewing the research findings.

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