Socioeconomic differences in housewife's ability to take nutritional care

To explore socio-economic differences in 'Nutritional Care Potential' (NCP) of housewives belonging to three distinctively different income groups living in urban areas of Karachi.

Data was collected from families living in small, medium and large sized houses located in the authorized urban residential areas of Karachi. A total of 180 housewives (60 each for low, middle and high income groups) were interviewed. Trained data collectors visited the households, interviewed the housewives about family's socio-demographic characteristics and their own nutritional knowledge, health locus of control and decision making.

The total NCP scores increased with income level (Low = 14.8+/-5.6; Middle 16.58+/-5.5; High = 17.28+/-5.3) but the difference was statistically significant only between low and high income groups (t-test P = 0.015). The mean nutrition knowledge score of low income group was lower (mean score = 11.7+/-4.1) and significantly different from both middle (mean score = 13.5+/-3.4 t-test P = 0.013) and high income group (mean score = 14.2+/-4.0, t-test P = 0.001). All the three income groups had firmer belief in internal health locus of control (mean score less than one out of a total of 4). Though, the mean score was highest for the high income group and lowest for the middle income group but the difference were not statistically significant. There were no marked differences in decision making power of the three groups.

The results of this study document socioeconomic difference in nutrition care potential. Though nutrition care potential of housewives was not found to be commendable at any income level, the fact that it is low at lower income levels indicates that poor nutritional status at lower income level is not because of income only.