Abstract
To address the problem of malnutrition in poor rural areas of China, this study aims to examine the effects of social-psychological factors in food consumption of rural residents in poor counties of Southwest China. In addition, it investigates the role of perceived need and habit within the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting food consumption. A survey with random sampling was conducted on rural residents (n = 424), and the theoretical frameworks of both the standard and extended TPB were applied for comparison purposes. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationships among constructs. Consumption of five food items was studied, respectively: meat, eggs, dairy, fish, and fruits. Results showed that incorporation of perceived need and habit substantially increased the explanatory power of the TPB, but these factors only had significant direct effects on intention rather than behavior. Perceived need and habit are stronger predictors of intention than any other TPB construct for consumption of all food items except for meat. We found indirect effects of the constructs in the extended TPB model on consumption to be different across food items. Practical implications to improve consumption of different food items were proposed accordingly.
Highlights
Eliminating hunger and malnutrition in all forms in the world by 2030 is a fundamental part of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations
The results are applicable in designing interventions aiming to improve dietary diversity and nutrition in poor rural counties of China where malnutrition is prevalent
It shows that extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by including perceived need and habit substantially increased the explained variance of intention, and perceived need and habit only indirectly influenced behavior
Summary
Eliminating hunger and malnutrition in all forms in the world by 2030 is a fundamental part of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Micronutrient deficiency, as one form of malnutrition, is affecting more than two billion people in the world [1], and is prevalent in poor, rural areas in developing countries [2,3]. A growing literature has documented that low dietary diversity is the main cause of micronutrient deficiency [4]. Many countries have developed and promoted national dietary guidelines and recommended consumption quantities of core food groups, such as grains, vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, eggs and dairy [7]. Inadequate consumption of certain foods has been observed, in developing countries [8,9,10]. A survey in poor, rural counties in China in 2015 showed that as high as
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