SOCIO ECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECTING FOOD CONSUMPTION PATTERN IN RURAL AREA OF DISTRICT NOWSHERA, PAKISTAN

A study was conducted tdetermine the food consumption pattern in a rural area of district Nowshera village Kaka Sahib in year 2005. The major objective was to investigate the influence of socio economic factors on food consumption patterns in the rural area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. A random sample of 66 households was interview ed through a pre-designed questionnaire inquiring about household size, rate and level of education, total monthly income, and expenditure on various food commodities consumed. An ordinary least squares method was employed to analyze the data. The results indicated that an average household size of 8.5 persons with a literacy rate of 94 percent, spent fifty-five percent per month of the total monthly income on food consumption. The empirical results revealed that wheat flour, milk, rice, vegetables, sugar, edible fats and tea were positively correlated with household size but meat, pulses, eggs and fruit were not significantly influenced by it. Similarly, household’s monthly total income showed a positive relationship with the food commodities consumed, except wheat flour, vegetables and eggs. It may be concluded that majority of food commodities consumed had a positive response to household size and total monthly income. Therefore, it is imperative for policy makers to plan to improve food availability and to increase family income to enhance quality of rural life. Key Word: Household size, Total monthly income, Food commodities, Food expenditure