Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia

The rapid South Asia rural transformation, driven by globalization and industrialization, has introduced a complex interaction between traditional and modern food systems. This study characterizes rural food environments in five districts across Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, focusing on how affordab...

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Main Authors: Chauhan, Alka, Scott, Samuel P., Joe, William, Maharjan, Nanda Kumar, Menon, Purnima, Chakrabarti, Suman
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/169268
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author Chauhan, Alka
Scott, Samuel P.
Joe, William
Maharjan, Nanda Kumar
Menon, Purnima
Chakrabarti, Suman
author_browse Chakrabarti, Suman
Chauhan, Alka
Joe, William
Maharjan, Nanda Kumar
Menon, Purnima
Scott, Samuel P.
author_facet Chauhan, Alka
Scott, Samuel P.
Joe, William
Maharjan, Nanda Kumar
Menon, Purnima
Chakrabarti, Suman
author_sort Chauhan, Alka
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The rapid South Asia rural transformation, driven by globalization and industrialization, has introduced a complex interaction between traditional and modern food systems. This study characterizes rural food environments in five districts across Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, focusing on how affordability, availability, accessibility, desirability, and convenience shape dietary choices and quality. Through extensive household and market surveys, we find rural diets characterized by low intake of healthy foods and moderate to high consumption of unhealthy options, influenced by a lack of affordability and the desirability and widespread availability of cheap ultra-processed products in rural markets. Snacking plays a significant role in shaping dietary patterns, promoting both dietary diversity and unhealthy food consumption. These findings provide essential insights for designing interventions tailored to rural food systems, supporting efforts to improve nutrition and health outcomes in rapidly changing markets.
format Artículo preliminar
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language Inglés
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spelling CGSpace1692682025-01-16T15:03:27Z Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia Chauhan, Alka Scott, Samuel P. Joe, William Maharjan, Nanda Kumar Menon, Purnima Chakrabarti, Suman capacity building rural areas diet food environment feeding preferences The rapid South Asia rural transformation, driven by globalization and industrialization, has introduced a complex interaction between traditional and modern food systems. This study characterizes rural food environments in five districts across Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, focusing on how affordability, availability, accessibility, desirability, and convenience shape dietary choices and quality. Through extensive household and market surveys, we find rural diets characterized by low intake of healthy foods and moderate to high consumption of unhealthy options, influenced by a lack of affordability and the desirability and widespread availability of cheap ultra-processed products in rural markets. Snacking plays a significant role in shaping dietary patterns, promoting both dietary diversity and unhealthy food consumption. These findings provide essential insights for designing interventions tailored to rural food systems, supporting efforts to improve nutrition and health outcomes in rapidly changing markets. 2025-01-07 2025-01-16T15:03:27Z 2025-01-16T15:03:27Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/169268 en https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.08.25320196 Open Access Chauhan, Alka; Scott, Samuel P.; Joe, William; Maharjan, Nanda Kumar; Menon, Purnima; and Chakrabarti, Suman. 2025. Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia. SSRN Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5082127
spellingShingle capacity building
rural areas
diet
food environment
feeding preferences
Chauhan, Alka
Scott, Samuel P.
Joe, William
Maharjan, Nanda Kumar
Menon, Purnima
Chakrabarti, Suman
Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia
title Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia
title_full Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia
title_fullStr Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia
title_full_unstemmed Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia
title_short Rural diets under pressure: Food environments and their influence on food choice in South Asia
title_sort rural diets under pressure food environments and their influence on food choice in south asia
topic capacity building
rural areas
diet
food environment
feeding preferences
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/169268
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AT maharjannandakumar ruraldietsunderpressurefoodenvironmentsandtheirinfluenceonfoodchoiceinsouthasia
AT menonpurnima ruraldietsunderpressurefoodenvironmentsandtheirinfluenceonfoodchoiceinsouthasia
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