Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1974

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Agricultural Economics

Major Professor

Ray Daniel

Committee Members

Irving Dubov, Frank Leuthold, Keith Phillips

Abstract

The objectives of this study were: (1) to estimate the effect of income and other selected socioeconomic characteristics of the household and female head of household on consumption of food energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, vitamin A, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) by households in the United States and the four census regions of the United States, (2) to separate the quantity of protein consumed per household into two groups by source, plant or animal, and to estimate a household consumption relationship for each source for the United States and the four census regions of the United States, (3) to estimate income elasticities for each respective nutrient at specified income levels for all regions of the United States and for the United States, (4) to compare the relation-ship of household consumption of each respective nutrient and income, ceteris paribus, with the Recommended Dietary Allowance for the United States, and (5) to examine the policy implications of the findings rela-tive to income distribution and nutritional adequacy, nutrition education programs, and future production and marketing decisions. Data from approximately 7,150 households located in the contiguous states of the United States were utilized to specify household nutrient consumption relationships. Also, these data were separated by geographic location of the household to facilitate the estimation of nutrient con-sumption relationships for households in the South, Northeast, North Central, and West regions of the United States. These relationships were developed using multiple regression analysis. Characteristics of the household and female head of household hypothesized to influence household consumption of food nutrients were; income, location, race, education of the homemaker, stage in the family life cycle, family size, eating habits, and employment status of the homemaker. Major implications drawn from the results of this study were; 1. Increases in household disposable income in the United States should result in increases in household consumption of food energy, animal protein, fat, calcium, iron, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and ascorbic acid up to some income level. This increase in consumption should be especially true for animal protein, fat, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Therefore, consumption of meats and fruits (especially citrus fruits) may increase in the future in response to increases in income. A leveling-off of consumption with increases in income was reflected at income levels above $8,000. 2. A trend toward a more urban society in the United States would result in a possible decline in consumption of most food nutrients. 3. Diets of Negro households were comparable or superior to diets of white households in all regions except the South. Diets of Negro households were weakest in the consumption of calcium. 4. Increases in the level of education attained by the homemaker resulted in declines in the consumption of food energy, fat, carbohy-drate, iron, thiamine, and vegetable protein and increases in the consump-tion of calcium, vitamin C, and animal protein by the household, 5. A trend toward smaller families would result in smaller quantities of most nutrients being consumed by households. 6. A trend away from the traditional three meals per day pattern to fewer meals per day would result in declines in household nutrient consumption. 7. Increased employment of housewives outside the home would result in greater household consumption of food energy, fat, and carbo-hydrates. 8. On the average, the distribution of income among households in the United States and regions of the United States was sufficient to generate adequate levels of consumption of all nutrients, ceteris paribus. The greatest possibility of a deficiency existed for calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C consumption. These deficiencies were not limited to the lowest income households or to any particular income level. 9. The problem of nutritional excesses in household consumption of food nutrients should be a major nutritional concern in the United States.

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