Food Risk Perceptions of Women in Rural and Urban Households- A Study in India

Aims: The current study attempted to examine risk perceptions related to safety of various commonly consumed foods and perceived health hazards associated with such risk perceptions among home food preparers.
Study Design: A cross-sectional study in urban and rural areas. Study locations were selected purposively but the participants were recruited using stratified random sampling technique.
Place and Duration of the Study: This study was conducted in Hyderabad, capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India and Kothapally Village in Karimnagar District for urban and rural population respectively. The study period was 4 months.
Methodology: Considering size and geographical spread, Hyderabad was divided into 3 natural zones and the village was considered as only one zone. From each zone, 30 households were selected (@ 10 each from lower, middle and upper economic strata in order to capture variations in perceptions, if any), making the total sample 120 with 90 from urban and 30 from rural locations respectively. Women, who were directly involved in food preparation were interviewed using a pre-tested, pre-coded questionnaire.
Results: This study revealed that infestation and adulteration were perceived as major risks in cereals and pulses. Majority of respondents perceived pesticide residues as risks in vegetables and fruits. About 83% perceived swarming of flies and mosquitoes as the only risk for uncooked non-vegetarian foods like meat and fish. Perceived risks were also linked with food-borne diseases by many of the respondents. We did not find any significant co-relation between income, education or habitat and perceptions related to food risk perception.
Conclusions: This study gives an overview of perceived risks related to commonly consumed foods. These results provide cues and set direction for further research to explore if perceived risks match with actual risks or not.