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Cultural hierarchies in health: Does inherited sociocultural position (biraderi) shape diet and nutrition among British Pakistani children? Protocol for a mixed-methods study

Author

Listed:
  • Komal Bhatia
  • Hannah Intezar
  • Parveen Akhtar

Abstract

This study aims to explore links between biraderi–a form of identity-based social grouping and stratification which cuts across religions among South Asians–and infant and child nutrition among British Pakistanis using data from the Born in Bradford cohort study. The study will entail a mixed-methods approach to (i) develop an operational framework of biraderi for epidemiologic analyses and apply it to longitudinal data from the Born in Bradford cohort study, (ii) quantify and describe child nutrition and dietary patterns for biraderi sub-groups, and (iii) investigate whether known mechanisms of identity-based segregation, graded inequality, and network effects operate through diet and nutrition in the UK. Using Krieger’s ecosocial theory as an integrative framework we will (iv) re-conceptualise and interpret the role of biraderi / caste in the social construction and embodied experience of how infants and children eat in the UK. Following a literature review on biraderi and health, we will convene and consult a lay consultation group in Bradford through focus groups and academic experts through a Delphi study to guide planning, implementation, interpretation and dissemination of our secondary data analysis. In addition to being the first study to look at biraderi-based nutritional inequalities in the UK, our study is innovative in that we will formally involve experts and users in the design and interpretation of our quantitative analyses. Findings will be applicable in any part of the world where children experience disadvantage linked to sociocultural hierarchy and identity. Our findings will be of particular use in (i) identifying women and children at particular risk of suboptimal breastfeeding practices, poor complementary feeding, and unhealthy diets in primary school in the UK, and (ii) elucidating the sociocultural pathways through which inequalities in population health nutrition outcomes are expressed.

Suggested Citation

  • Komal Bhatia & Hannah Intezar & Parveen Akhtar, 2024. "Cultural hierarchies in health: Does inherited sociocultural position (biraderi) shape diet and nutrition among British Pakistani children? Protocol for a mixed-methods study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(6), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0305556
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305556
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Krieger, Nancy, 1994. "Epidemiology and the web of causation: Has anyone seen the spider?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 887-903, October.
    2. Elena Arciero & Sufyan A. Dogra & Daniel S. Malawsky & Massimo Mezzavilla & Theofanis Tsismentzoglou & Qin Qin Huang & Karen A. Hunt & Dan Mason & Saghira Malik Sharif & David A. Heel & Eamonn Sherida, 2021. "Fine-scale population structure and demographic history of British Pakistanis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Vegard Iversen & Adriaan Kalwij & Arjan Verschoor & Amaresh Dubey, 2014. "Caste Dominance and Economic Performance in Rural India," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 62(3), pages 423-457.
    4. repec:plo:pmed00:0040296 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Leidy Johanna Hurtado-Bermúdez & Irene Vélez-Torres & Fabián Méndez, 2020. "No land for food: prevalence of food insecurity in ethnic communities enclosed by sugarcane monocrop in Colombia," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(7), pages 1087-1096, September.
    6. Mosse, David, 2018. "Caste and development: Contemporary perspectives on a structure of discrimination and advantage," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 422-436.
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