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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
04:56
Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Rural Diets Under Pressure: Food Environments and their Influence on Diets in South Asia.
Alka Chauhan1, Samuel Scott1, William Joe2
1International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, USA.
The British Journal of Nutrition
|July 2, 2026
Summary
Rural South Asian diets show low healthy food intake and high unhealthy food consumption. Key factors include unaffordable nutritious foods and accessible, desirable ultra-processed products, driving dietary shifts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health Nutrition
- Food Systems Research
- Dietary Pattern Analysis
Background:
- Rising unhealthy food consumption in rural South Asia contrasts with limited understanding of regional food environments.
- Characterizing these environments is crucial for addressing nutritional challenges in underserved populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize rural food environments in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.
- To assess the association between food affordability, accessibility, availability, desirability, and dietary patterns/quality.
Main Methods:
- Household (N=9711) and market (N=1646) data from the TAFSSA survey in five rural districts (2023).
- Assessed food consumption, Global Diet Quality Scores (GDQS), market proximity, prices, vendor density, food availability, and messaging.
- Multivariate regressions adjusted for sociodemographic factors.
Main Results:
- Diets exhibited low healthy food intake (GDQS-plus: 6.6-7.7) and high unhealthy intake (GDQS-minus: 9.3-11.7).
- Ultra-processed food vendors were prevalent (>80% of villages). Snacking significantly predicted both higher healthy and unhealthy food intake.
- Suboptimal diets linked to low affordability of nutritious foods and high availability/desirability of inexpensive ultra-processed products.
Conclusions:
- Rural South Asian dietary transitions are driven by structural and behavioral factors.
- Interventions must address the affordability of nutritious foods and the pervasive appeal of ultra-processed options.
- Findings inform strategies to improve nutrition in vulnerable rural communities.
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