Consumption Of Nutrients: An Applied Microeconomic Analysis

All human beings desire to live long, stay healthy and active. Satisfaction of hunger is not enought to sustain a healthy and active life, what we need is a balanced diet, as nutritional deficiencies may cause serious health hazards. In this context, the objectives of this paper are (a) to evaluate the elasticity of nutrients and compare them across different income groups in rural and urban areas, and (b) to assess the consumption of food nutrients for different income groups across rural and urban areas. Mean proteins, fibers and energy intake by the Urban Higher Income Group (UHIG) and the Rural Higher Income Group (RHIG) may be considered equal because the difference between the two is not too significant. The mean consumption of fats, carbohydrates and minerals consumption is significantly higher in UHIG as compared to RHIG. Similarly, the mean energy intake is significantly higher in the the Rural Lower Income Group (RLIG) as compared to the Urban Lower Income Group (ULIG). The income elasticities for carbohydrates and fibers were found higher among RHIG. The magnitudes of nutrients (proteins, fats and energy) elasticities were observed to be higher for UHIG and ULIG. This indicates that the demand for proteins, fats and energy will go up with the increment of income.