China’s Urban Household Food Consumption, Nutrition and Health

Abstract

The effect of family structure on household nutrition intake and the effect of wine, beer, and spirits consumption on household nutrition and health are examined. To evaluate nutrition intake, an Eating Healthy Index (EHI) is developed following the Compilation of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, published by the Chinese Nutrition Society, and the Healthy Eating Index-2010 components and standards for scoring from USDA. Using previously collected household survey data from 11 cities in China, an EHI is developed and calculated for each family to assess their nutrition intake. The score is calculated such that it increases if consumption is in a range representing healthy food intake. The relationship between the score, representing healthy nutrition intake, and household income, wife's education level, demographics, and household composition is explored using regression analysis. The results indicate that changes in family structure have significant effects on household nutrition intake.