Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving?

The paper measures dietary diversity among different income groups in Nepal and identifies the drivers of this diversity as a first step toward addressing the widespread prevalence of nutrient deficiency. The level of diversity in household diets is an indirect measure of dietary quality and the ext...

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Main Authors: Kumar, Anjani, Thapa, Ganesh B., Joshi, Pramod Kumar
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147642
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author Kumar, Anjani
Thapa, Ganesh B.
Joshi, Pramod Kumar
author_browse Joshi, Pramod Kumar
Kumar, Anjani
Thapa, Ganesh B.
author_facet Kumar, Anjani
Thapa, Ganesh B.
Joshi, Pramod Kumar
author_sort Kumar, Anjani
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The paper measures dietary diversity among different income groups in Nepal and identifies the drivers of this diversity as a first step toward addressing the widespread prevalence of nutrient deficiency. The level of diversity in household diets is an indirect measure of dietary quality and the extent to which the nutritional needs of households are being met. However, there is limited understanding of the trends, patterns, and determinants of dietary diversity in Nepal. This study is an attempt to enrich the literature on this issue. Drawing on unit-level data from three rounds (1995, 2004, and 2011) of the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS), we use multilevel modeling, quantile regression, and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method to decipher the trends, determinants, and drivers of dietary diversity in Nepal. Our study finds that changes in household sociodemographic and agricultural characteristics are very important in explaining the improvement in dietary quality. Changes in household characteristics account for at least 37 percent of the observed improvement, and agriculture-related changes explain at least 16 percent of the observed improvement. Variables positively associated with dietary quality are remittances, social cash transfers, parents’ education, crop diversity, access to markets and paved roads, and ownership of a television and telephone, among others. Our findings are highly robust across the different model specifications. Our study concludes by calling for a multisectoral approach to tackle nutrition issues in Nepal.
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spelling CGSpace1476422025-11-06T07:17:20Z Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving? Kumar, Anjani Thapa, Ganesh B. Joshi, Pramod Kumar models consumer expenditure dietary diversity The paper measures dietary diversity among different income groups in Nepal and identifies the drivers of this diversity as a first step toward addressing the widespread prevalence of nutrient deficiency. The level of diversity in household diets is an indirect measure of dietary quality and the extent to which the nutritional needs of households are being met. However, there is limited understanding of the trends, patterns, and determinants of dietary diversity in Nepal. This study is an attempt to enrich the literature on this issue. Drawing on unit-level data from three rounds (1995, 2004, and 2011) of the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS), we use multilevel modeling, quantile regression, and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method to decipher the trends, determinants, and drivers of dietary diversity in Nepal. Our study finds that changes in household sociodemographic and agricultural characteristics are very important in explaining the improvement in dietary quality. Changes in household characteristics account for at least 37 percent of the observed improvement, and agriculture-related changes explain at least 16 percent of the observed improvement. Variables positively associated with dietary quality are remittances, social cash transfers, parents’ education, crop diversity, access to markets and paved roads, and ownership of a television and telephone, among others. Our findings are highly robust across the different model specifications. Our study concludes by calling for a multisectoral approach to tackle nutrition issues in Nepal. 2017 2024-06-21T09:23:07Z 2024-06-21T09:23:07Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147642 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146264 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146317 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/150519 application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Kumar, Anjani; Thapa, G. B. (Ganesh B.); and Joshi, Pramod Kumar. 2017. Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving? IFPRI Discussion Paper 1670. Washington, DC:. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147642
spellingShingle models
consumer expenditure
dietary diversity
Kumar, Anjani
Thapa, Ganesh B.
Joshi, Pramod Kumar
Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving?
title Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving?
title_full Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving?
title_fullStr Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving?
title_full_unstemmed Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving?
title_short Food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in Nepal: Is dietary quality improving?
title_sort food expenditure patterns and dietary diversity in nepal is dietary quality improving
topic models
consumer expenditure
dietary diversity
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147642
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