Dietary Diversity of Public Distribution System Beneficiaries Households in Villupuram District of TamilNadu, India

Aims: To assess the factors influencing dietary diversity of Pubic Distribution System Beneficiary Households in rural and urban areas.

Study Design: Purposive Random Sampling was used.

Place and Duration of Study: In Tamil Nadu, the Villupuram district was purposively selected for the study. The survey was conducted for the collection of primary data about the period April to May 2022.

Methodology: Based on the food security index of Tamil Nadu State Human Development Report 2017, the Villupuram district was selected for the study which falls under the low food security index. In this district, rural and urban households were randomly selected. The Simpson Dietary Diversity Index was used for the analysis. The Multiple Linear Regression method was used to understand the difference in food habits, quality of diet intake, and the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of the dietary diversity of public distribution system beneficiary households in the study area.

Results: The overall result of the Simpson Index of Dietary Diversity (SIDD) score of rural and urban households are 0.78 and 0.85 respectively. The results clearly showed that urban PDS beneficiary households had higher dietary diversity than rural PDS beneficiaries’ households. Monthly income, age, household size, and distance of PDS shops may enhance dietary diversity, thereby improving the nutritional status of households.

Conclusion: The dietary diversity of rural PDS beneficiary households differs significantly from urban PDS beneficiary households, owing to a higher intake of nutritious foods in urban PDS beneficiary households for dietary diversity. Price subsidy on the staple food commodities has different effects on the consumption pattern and dietary diversity for low, middle, and higher-income people in Public Distribution System. This study suggests that PDS beneficiary poor people to buy cheaper items rather than high-value commodities such as fruits, milk, meats, and fish compared to high-income groups for dietary diversity.