IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v117y2023ics0306919223000489.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Processed foods, socio-economic status, and peri-urban obesity in India

Author

Listed:
  • Purushotham, Anjali
  • Aiyar, Anaka
  • von Cramon-Taubadel, Stephan

Abstract

The ‘State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020′ report states that switching to healthy diets will both prevent backsliding into hunger and help countries meet their sustainability goals. In 2019–2020, 17 percent of India’s adult population was undernourished. At the same time, however, 23 percent of all adults were obese. The increasing prevalence of obesity implies that improving diets and reducing risks for obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a major food security challenge for India in the coming years. Overconsumption of calories from processed foods is known to increase the risk of obesity. To gain insights into the dietary transition and its relationship with obesity, we use cross-sectional data from a primary socio-economic survey conducted in the rural-urban interface of Bangalore, a mega-city in India that is characterized by high economic development. We show that for women in lower-middle socio-economic status (SES) groups, higher share of calories from semi-processed foods (SPF) is associated with a higher prevalence of obesity, while excess consumption of calories from ultra-processed foods (UPF) is associated with a higher obesity prevalence among women in higher SES groups. Older women and women who consume above the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calories are more vulnerable to excess calories from SPF consumption than younger women and women who consume less than the RDA of calories. Furthermore, a lower prevalence of obesity is observed among women who consume excess calories from SPF but engage in labor-intensive occupational activity. These results speak to the need for interventions that incentivize weight loss and increased physical activity. The result that SPF consumption is associated with an increased prevalence of obesity especially among lower-middle SES group calls for interventions that increase access to and affordability of healthy diets. Policy instruments such as diversifying the public distribution system (PDS) are important to improve accessibility and affordability of healthy diets. In addition, increasing sugar and processed food taxes and incentivizing companies to invest in culturally sensitive food labeling should be considered to shift consumer demand towards healthier diet choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Purushotham, Anjali & Aiyar, Anaka & von Cramon-Taubadel, Stephan, 2023. "Processed foods, socio-economic status, and peri-urban obesity in India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:117:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223000489
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102450
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919223000489
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102450?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kenneth Harttgen & Stephan Klasen & Sebastian Vollmer, 2013. "Economic Growth and Child Undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 39(3), pages 397-412, September.
    2. Aiyar, Anaka & Dhingra, Sunaina & Pingali, Prabhu, 2021. "Transitioning to an obese India: Demographic and structural determinants of the rapid rise in overweight incidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    3. Pingali, Prabhu & Khwaja, Yasmeen, 2004. "Globalisation of Indian diets and the transformation of food supply systems," ESA Working Papers 23796, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA).
    4. Bina Agarwal & Pervesh Anthwal & Malvika Mahesh, 2021. "How Many and Which Women Own Land in India? Inter-gender and Intra-gender Gaps," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(11), pages 1807-1829, November.
    5. Demmler, Kathrin M. & Ecker, Olivier & Qaim, Matin, 2018. "Supermarket Shopping and Nutritional Outcomes: A Panel Data Analysis for Urban Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 292-303.
    6. Gibson, John & Datt, Gaurav & Murgai, Rinku & Ravallion, Martin, 2017. "For India’s Rural Poor, Growing Towns Matter More Than Growing Cities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 413-429.
    7. J. V. Meenakshi, 2016. "Trends and patterns in the triple burden of malnutrition in India," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 115-134, November.
    8. Haggblade, Steven & Hazell, Peter & Reardon, Thomas, 2010. "The Rural Non-farm Economy: Prospects for Growth and Poverty Reduction," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 1429-1441, October.
    9. Prabhu Pingali & Anaka Aiyar & Mathew Abraham & Andaleeb Rahman, 2019. "Transforming Food Systems for a Rising India," Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-030-14409-8, November.
    10. Abhijit Banerjee & Rema Hanna & Benjamin A Olken & Elan Satriawan & Sudarno Sumarto, "undated". "Food vs. Food Stamps: Evidence from an At-Scale Experiment in Indonesia," Working Papers 2373, Publications Department.
    11. Abay Asfaw, 2011. "Does consumption of processed foods explain disparities in the body weight of individuals? The case of Guatemala," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(2), pages 184-195, February.
    12. Cawley, John, 2015. "An economy of scales: A selective review of obesity's economic causes, consequences, and solutions," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 244-268.
    13. Otterbach, Steffen & Oskorouchi, Hamid Reza & Rogan, Michael & Qaim, Matin, 2021. "Using Google data to measure the role of Big Food and fast food in South Africa’s obesity epidemic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    14. Coates, Jennifer & Patenaude, Bryan N. & Rogers, Beatrice Lorge & Roba, Alemzewed Challa & Woldetensay, Yitbarek Kidane & Tilahun, Addisalem Fikre & Spielman, Kathryn L., 2018. "Intra-household nutrient inequity in rural Ethiopia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 82-94.
    15. Dang, Archana & Maitra, Pushkar & Menon, Nidhiya, 2019. "Labor market engagement and the body mass index of working adults: Evidence from India," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 58-77.
    16. Sube Singh & Ramesh Kumar & Rohit Panchal & Manoj Kumar Tiwari, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on logistics systems and disruptions in food supply chain," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(7), pages 1993-2008, April.
    17. Kumar, Neha & Raghunathan, Kalyani & Arrieta, Alejandra & Jilani, Amir & Pandey, Shinjini, 2021. "The power of the collective empowers women: Evidence from self-help groups in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    18. Louzada, Maria Laura da Costa & Levy, Renata Bertazzi & Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto & Claro, Rafael Moreira & Steele, Euridice Martinez & Verly Jr., Eliseu & Cafiero, Carlo & Monteiro, Carlos August, 2017. "Validating the usage of household food acquisition surveys to assess the consumption of ultra-processed foods: Evidence from Brazil," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 112-120.
    19. Coates, Jennifer & Rogers, Beatrice Lorge & Blau, Alexander & Lauer, Jacqueline & Roba, Alemzewed, 2017. "Filling a dietary data gap? Validation of the adult male equivalent method of estimating individual nutrient intakes from household-level data in Ethiopia and Bangladesh," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 27-42.
    20. Ashkan Afshin & José L Peñalvo & Liana Del Gobbo & Jose Silva & Melody Michaelson & Martin O'Flaherty & Simon Capewell & Donna Spiegelman & Goodarz Danaei & Dariush Mozaffarian, 2017. "The prospective impact of food pricing on improving dietary consumption: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, March.
    21. Rao, Nitya & Singh, Chandni & Solomon, Divya & Camfield, Laura & Sidiki, Rahina & Angula, Margaret & Poonacha, Prathigna & Sidibé, Amadou & Lawson, Elaine T., 2020. "Managing risk, changing aspirations and household dynamics: Implications for wellbeing and adaptation in semi-arid Africa and India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    22. Christine M. Sauer & Thomas Reardon & David Tschirley & Saweda Liverpool‐Tasie & Titus Awokuse & Roselyne Alphonce & Daniel Ndyetabula & Betty Waized, 2021. "Consumption of processed food & food away from home in big cities, small towns, and rural areas of Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(5), pages 749-770, September.
    23. Cockx, Lara & Colen, Liesbeth & De Weerdt, Joachim, 2018. "From corn to popcorn? Urbanization and dietary change: Evidence from rural-urban migrants in Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 140-159.
    24. Andaleeb Rahman & Sumit Mishra, 2020. "Does Non-farm Income Affect Food Security? Evidence from India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(6), pages 1190-1209, June.
    25. Zeinab Hosseini & Gerry Veenstra & Nadia A Khan & Annalijn I Conklin, 2020. "Associations between social connections, their interactions, and obesity differ by gender: A population-based, cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-19, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Purushotham, Anjali & Aiyar, Anaka & von Cramon-Taubadel, Stephan, 2021. "Dietary transition and its relationship with socio-economic status and peri-urban obesity," DARE Discussion Papers 2104, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    2. Aiyar, Anaka & Rahman, Andaleeb & Pingali, Prabhu, 2021. "India’s rural transformation and rising obesity burden," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    3. Aiyar, Anaka & Dhingra, Sunaina & Pingali, Prabhu, 2021. "Transitioning to an obese India: Demographic and structural determinants of the rapid rise in overweight incidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    4. Reardon, Thomas & Liverpool-Tasie, Saweda & Minten, Bart, 2022. "IFAD Research Series 78: The Small and Medium Enterprises’ quiet revolution in the hidden middle of food systems in developing regions," IFAD Research Series 321998, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    5. McCullough, Ellen & Zhen, Chen & Shin, Soye & Lu, Meichen & Arsenault, Joanne, 2022. "The role of food preferences in determining diet quality for Tanzanian consumers," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    6. Boysen, Ole & Bradford, Harvey & Boysen-Urban, Kirsten & Balie, Jean, 2018. "Taxing Highly Processed Foods: Impacts On Obesity And Underweight In Sub-Saharan Africa," 58th Annual Conference, Kiel, Germany, September 12-14, 2018 275849, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA).
    7. Rich, Kate & von Fintel, Dieter, 2024. "Childhood circumstances, social mobility and the obesity transition: Evidence from South Africa," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    8. Ritter, Patricia I., 2023. "Soda expansion in the tropics: The effect on obesity rates among women without piped water at home," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    9. Archana Dang & Indrani Gupta, 2021. "Obesity and its Impact on COVID Occurrence: Evidence from India," IEG Working Papers 430, Institute of Economic Growth.
    10. Jumrani, Jaya, 2023. "How responsive are nutrients in India? Some recent evidence," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    11. Purushotham, Anjali & Steinhübel, Linda, 2021. "You Eat What You Work – Livelihood Strategies and Nutrition in the Rural-Urban Interface," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315247, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Michael Dolislager & Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool‐Tasie & Nicole M. Mason & Thomas Reardon & David Tschirley, 2022. "Consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods by the African poor: Evidence from Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(6), pages 870-894, November.
    13. Alwin D'Souza & Ashok K. Mishra & Stefan Hirsch, 2020. "Enhancing food security through diet quality: The role of nonfarm work in rural India," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 95-110, January.
    14. Makaiko G. Khonje & Matin Qaim, 2019. "Modernization of African Food Retailing and (Un)healthy Food Consumption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    15. Mottaleb, Khondoker A. & Mishra, Ashok K., 2020. "Income, Urbanization, and Consumption of Processed Foods: Implications for Nutrition and Health Policies for India," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304206, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    16. Bethelhem Legesse Debela & Kathrin M. Demmler & Stephan Klasen & Matin Qaim, 2018. "Supermarket food purchases and child nutritional outcomes in Kenya," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 273227, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    17. Wanglin Ma & Puneet Vatsa & Hongyun Zheng & Yanzhi Guo, 2022. "Does online food shopping boost dietary diversity? Application of an endogenous switching model with a count outcome variable," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-19, December.
    18. Chandana Maitra & Vani Sethi & Sayeed Unisa & Sriram Shankar, 2019. "Household Food Insecurity and Maternal and Child Nutritional Status: Evidence from Maharashtra," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 65(S1), pages 63-101, November.
    19. Harris-Fry, Helen & Lamson, Lauren & Roett, Katelyn & Katz, Elizabeth, 2022. "Reducing gender bias in household consumption data: Implications for food fortification policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    20. Christine M. Sauer & Thomas Reardon & David Tschirley & Saweda Liverpool‐Tasie & Titus Awokuse & Roselyne Alphonce & Daniel Ndyetabula & Betty Waized, 2021. "Consumption of processed food & food away from home in big cities, small towns, and rural areas of Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(5), pages 749-770, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:117:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223000489. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.