Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292685
- eISBN:
- 9780191596957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292686.003.0009
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The hurdles encountered in going from estimating calorie requirements for individuals to establishing a minimum per person calorie norm for households are analysed in Ch. 9. Households’ per person ...
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The hurdles encountered in going from estimating calorie requirements for individuals to establishing a minimum per person calorie norm for households are analysed in Ch. 9. Households’ per person minimum calorie requirement differs according to household structure (size, age, and sex composition), but the FAO has no data for a single population on this distribution, or its correlation to the distribution of households’ availability of calories. Therefore, the FAO has established a uniform norm for all households in respective populations, which reflect the minimum per person calorie requirement of a household with the same age and sex composition as the population as a whole in the respective country. This short cut invariably means that a bias is introduced in the estimates of the prevalence of undernutrition; some households with below‐average requirements will be erroneously classified as undernourished, while other households with above average requirements will erroneously be classified as well nourished. The net bias will be large for certain combinations of values of the key parameters, and also of varying size for different countries, signifying compromised comparability across countries.Less
The hurdles encountered in going from estimating calorie requirements for individuals to establishing a minimum per person calorie norm for households are analysed in Ch. 9. Households’ per person minimum calorie requirement differs according to household structure (size, age, and sex composition), but the FAO has no data for a single population on this distribution, or its correlation to the distribution of households’ availability of calories. Therefore, the FAO has established a uniform norm for all households in respective populations, which reflect the minimum per person calorie requirement of a household with the same age and sex composition as the population as a whole in the respective country. This short cut invariably means that a bias is introduced in the estimates of the prevalence of undernutrition; some households with below‐average requirements will be erroneously classified as undernourished, while other households with above average requirements will erroneously be classified as well nourished. The net bias will be large for certain combinations of values of the key parameters, and also of varying size for different countries, signifying compromised comparability across countries.
Vasco Molini
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199236558
- eISBN:
- 9780191717031
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199236558.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter finds that food security in Vietnam showed improvements that were concentrated among the richer households, although there was some improvement among the poorer strata as well. It ...
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This chapter finds that food security in Vietnam showed improvements that were concentrated among the richer households, although there was some improvement among the poorer strata as well. It focuses on the calorie/expenditure elasticity and compares results for the years 1993 and 1998. It shows that this link is strong and that calorie income elasticity changed in the expected direction. In general, food security improved in Vietnam during 1990s although considerable differences still remain among expenditure deciles and among regions due to the accentuated spatial difference.Less
This chapter finds that food security in Vietnam showed improvements that were concentrated among the richer households, although there was some improvement among the poorer strata as well. It focuses on the calorie/expenditure elasticity and compares results for the years 1993 and 1998. It shows that this link is strong and that calorie income elasticity changed in the expected direction. In general, food security improved in Vietnam during 1990s although considerable differences still remain among expenditure deciles and among regions due to the accentuated spatial difference.
Trenton G. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264980
- eISBN:
- 9780191754135
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264980.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Health, Illness, and Medicine
While conventional wisdom holds that excessive body weight is the product of some combination of a high-calorie diet and a sedentary lifestyle, public health measures aimed at these factors have been ...
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While conventional wisdom holds that excessive body weight is the product of some combination of a high-calorie diet and a sedentary lifestyle, public health measures aimed at these factors have been met with only limited success. This chapter considers the possibility that obesity might be better understood in terms of the biologist's notion that humans and other animals evolved the ability to store body fat as an optimal response to the presence of starvation risk. Evidence from a broad array of disciplines is consistent with this view, including the neuroendocrinology of energy homeostasis, parallels between human and animal fattening behaviour, the effect of stress on dietary intake, population-level studies of the impact of economic insecurity on body weight and international variation in obesity rates.Less
While conventional wisdom holds that excessive body weight is the product of some combination of a high-calorie diet and a sedentary lifestyle, public health measures aimed at these factors have been met with only limited success. This chapter considers the possibility that obesity might be better understood in terms of the biologist's notion that humans and other animals evolved the ability to store body fat as an optimal response to the presence of starvation risk. Evidence from a broad array of disciplines is consistent with this view, including the neuroendocrinology of energy homeostasis, parallels between human and animal fattening behaviour, the effect of stress on dietary intake, population-level studies of the impact of economic insecurity on body weight and international variation in obesity rates.
Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292685
- eISBN:
- 9780191596957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292686.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Within the nutritionist profession, the focus is on the inter‐linkages between body weight, basal metabolism, physical activity and nutrition (calorie) requirement. Economists are primarily ...
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Within the nutritionist profession, the focus is on the inter‐linkages between body weight, basal metabolism, physical activity and nutrition (calorie) requirement. Economists are primarily interested in the two‐way linkage between income and food (calories) consumption, i.e. the demand for food as a function of income, and also food as a determinant of individuals’ labour productivity, and hence income earned. In this chapter, a nutrition‐cum‐efficiency wage model is set up, which incorporates all these relationships as separate functions. In the model, body weight, optimal work intensity, calorie intake, and income are derived endogenously, while the wage rate and body characteristics (stature of adults) are treated as exogenous parameters. Comparative static experiments are carried out.Less
Within the nutritionist profession, the focus is on the inter‐linkages between body weight, basal metabolism, physical activity and nutrition (calorie) requirement. Economists are primarily interested in the two‐way linkage between income and food (calories) consumption, i.e. the demand for food as a function of income, and also food as a determinant of individuals’ labour productivity, and hence income earned. In this chapter, a nutrition‐cum‐efficiency wage model is set up, which incorporates all these relationships as separate functions. In the model, body weight, optimal work intensity, calorie intake, and income are derived endogenously, while the wage rate and body characteristics (stature of adults) are treated as exogenous parameters. Comparative static experiments are carried out.
Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292685
- eISBN:
- 9780191596957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292686.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
In this chapter, the most well‐known model used for estimating the prevalence of undernutrition worldwide is presented. This is the model proposed by the FAO and applied for monitoring the progress ...
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In this chapter, the most well‐known model used for estimating the prevalence of undernutrition worldwide is presented. This is the model proposed by the FAO and applied for monitoring the progress towards the UN Millennium objective: to reduce undernutrition by half before 2015. The model comprises three main building blocks: the national food (calorie) supply, a function for the distribution of calories across households, and a norm for what is the lowest acceptable per person calorie intake in households. The main statistical data used by the FAO to estimate the model are presented. Finally, a simple robustness test is provided, demonstrating that the FAO estimates of undernutrition are highly sensitive even to small variations in the values attached to the three key parameters.Less
In this chapter, the most well‐known model used for estimating the prevalence of undernutrition worldwide is presented. This is the model proposed by the FAO and applied for monitoring the progress towards the UN Millennium objective: to reduce undernutrition by half before 2015. The model comprises three main building blocks: the national food (calorie) supply, a function for the distribution of calories across households, and a norm for what is the lowest acceptable per person calorie intake in households. The main statistical data used by the FAO to estimate the model are presented. Finally, a simple robustness test is provided, demonstrating that the FAO estimates of undernutrition are highly sensitive even to small variations in the values attached to the three key parameters.
Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292685
- eISBN:
- 9780191596957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292686.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Given the importance of national per‐capita calorie availability in the FAO estimations of undernutrition, this chapter takes a second look at this parameter; now from the consumption side. Estimates ...
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Given the importance of national per‐capita calorie availability in the FAO estimations of undernutrition, this chapter takes a second look at this parameter; now from the consumption side. Estimates of per‐capita calorie consumption from various food and expenditure surveys in several countries are compared with corresponding supply‐side estimates derived by the FAO, and huge mismatches are found. The main methodological flaws in most food consumption surveys from developing countries are identified and the conclusion is that these surveys are, with notably few exceptions, as unreliable as the FAO's food balance sheet estimates. It is also found that the estimates of the distribution of available calories across households, one of the three key parameters in the FAO model, are highly unreliable and in no single case, nationally representative. The evidence on peoples’ actual calorie expenditures by the only reliable method there—the Doubly Labelled Water Method—is unfortunately far too scant to permit any generalizations whatsoever.Less
Given the importance of national per‐capita calorie availability in the FAO estimations of undernutrition, this chapter takes a second look at this parameter; now from the consumption side. Estimates of per‐capita calorie consumption from various food and expenditure surveys in several countries are compared with corresponding supply‐side estimates derived by the FAO, and huge mismatches are found. The main methodological flaws in most food consumption surveys from developing countries are identified and the conclusion is that these surveys are, with notably few exceptions, as unreliable as the FAO's food balance sheet estimates. It is also found that the estimates of the distribution of available calories across households, one of the three key parameters in the FAO model, are highly unreliable and in no single case, nationally representative. The evidence on peoples’ actual calorie expenditures by the only reliable method there—the Doubly Labelled Water Method—is unfortunately far too scant to permit any generalizations whatsoever.
Kenneth Pomeranz
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199280681
- eISBN:
- 9780191602467
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199280681.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
Attempts to reconstruct basic aspects of the standard of living in late eighteenth century China, focusing primarily on the Yangzi Delta (China’s richest region) but also briefly considering other ...
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Attempts to reconstruct basic aspects of the standard of living in late eighteenth century China, focusing primarily on the Yangzi Delta (China’s richest region) but also briefly considering other areas, and arguing that for most of the population it was probably broadly comparable to Western Europe at the same time. Food supply is evaluated in terms of average availability of calories and protection from fluctuations; protein intake is also discussed, though more speculatively. Income distribution and evidence concerning consumption of textiles, sugar, tea, and so on are also considered. Since the estimates in this study in many cases are higher than what was found in early twentieth-century surveys, the chapter also explains why it is plausible to think that the standard of living may have declined between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries.Less
Attempts to reconstruct basic aspects of the standard of living in late eighteenth century China, focusing primarily on the Yangzi Delta (China’s richest region) but also briefly considering other areas, and arguing that for most of the population it was probably broadly comparable to Western Europe at the same time. Food supply is evaluated in terms of average availability of calories and protection from fluctuations; protein intake is also discussed, though more speculatively. Income distribution and evidence concerning consumption of textiles, sugar, tea, and so on are also considered. Since the estimates in this study in many cases are higher than what was found in early twentieth-century surveys, the chapter also explains why it is plausible to think that the standard of living may have declined between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198286370
- eISBN:
- 9780191718441
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198286370.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
From 5% to 45% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa appear to be undernourished, depending on the indicator and sources consulted. This enormous discrepancy calls for a diagnosis of the extent of ...
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From 5% to 45% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa appear to be undernourished, depending on the indicator and sources consulted. This enormous discrepancy calls for a diagnosis of the extent of undernourishment in the region. This chapter argues that both FAO and IBRD have based their estimates on the FAO calorie availability data, which are downward biased thus leading to an inflated figure for undernourishment. This exaggeration is an upshot of biased methods, non-representative data, and imprecise and ambiguous conception of undernutrition. The chapter makes extensive use of anthropometric evidence to establish these substantive conclusions. It suggests that even when sample studies are representative and unbiased, supplementary socio-economic data are required to understand the source of undernutrition.Less
From 5% to 45% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa appear to be undernourished, depending on the indicator and sources consulted. This enormous discrepancy calls for a diagnosis of the extent of undernourishment in the region. This chapter argues that both FAO and IBRD have based their estimates on the FAO calorie availability data, which are downward biased thus leading to an inflated figure for undernourishment. This exaggeration is an upshot of biased methods, non-representative data, and imprecise and ambiguous conception of undernutrition. The chapter makes extensive use of anthropometric evidence to establish these substantive conclusions. It suggests that even when sample studies are representative and unbiased, supplementary socio-economic data are required to understand the source of undernutrition.
Eileen Stillwaggon
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195169270
- eISBN:
- 9780199783427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195169271.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
This chapter applies the lessons of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa to Latin America and the Caribbean. Economic and biological factors are important determinants of HIV transmission. Poverty, ...
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This chapter applies the lessons of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa to Latin America and the Caribbean. Economic and biological factors are important determinants of HIV transmission. Poverty, malnutrition, and parasites are endemic in much of the region, which also has additional risk factors for HIV transmission, including injecting drug use and millions of street children. Statistical analysis shows high correlation between HIV prevalence and GDP per capita, international migration, urbanization, and calorie supply. The results reflect the dualism of the Latin American and Caribbean economies and their dual HIV epidemics, and suggest the reasons why HIV is spreading fastest in lower-income groups.Less
This chapter applies the lessons of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa to Latin America and the Caribbean. Economic and biological factors are important determinants of HIV transmission. Poverty, malnutrition, and parasites are endemic in much of the region, which also has additional risk factors for HIV transmission, including injecting drug use and millions of street children. Statistical analysis shows high correlation between HIV prevalence and GDP per capita, international migration, urbanization, and calorie supply. The results reflect the dualism of the Latin American and Caribbean economies and their dual HIV epidemics, and suggest the reasons why HIV is spreading fastest in lower-income groups.
Raghav Gaiha, Raghbendra Jha, and Vani S. Kulkarni (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198099215
- eISBN:
- 9780199084500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198099215.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Health, Illness, and Medicine
The Deaton–Dreze (2009) explanation of a decline in calorie intake despite rapid economic growth in terms of lower calorie ‘requirements’ is incomplete. This chapter fills this gap by taking into ...
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The Deaton–Dreze (2009) explanation of a decline in calorie intake despite rapid economic growth in terms of lower calorie ‘requirements’ is incomplete. This chapter fills this gap by taking into account the influences of food prices, growing affluence, urbanization and life-style changes and less strenuous activity levels. Insights into changing consumer preferences are given.Less
The Deaton–Dreze (2009) explanation of a decline in calorie intake despite rapid economic growth in terms of lower calorie ‘requirements’ is incomplete. This chapter fills this gap by taking into account the influences of food prices, growing affluence, urbanization and life-style changes and less strenuous activity levels. Insights into changing consumer preferences are given.
Brinda Viswanathan and J. V. Meenakshi
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199236558
- eISBN:
- 9780191717031
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199236558.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter analyses the changes in prevalence of under-nourishment between the 1980s and 1990s at the national and sub-national levels in India, focusing on the rural-urban comparisons. There has ...
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This chapter analyses the changes in prevalence of under-nourishment between the 1980s and 1990s at the national and sub-national levels in India, focusing on the rural-urban comparisons. There has been an apparent increase in the prevalence of under-nourishment over time in rural India, while in urban areas, the prevalence has remained unchanged, or has declined. Also, over time, average intakes in urban areas have surpassed those in rural India in most states. At the same time, there appears to be a decline in the within-state inequalities in energy intakes between 1983 and 1993/94, but an increase (especially in urban areas) between 1993/94 and 1999/2000.Less
This chapter analyses the changes in prevalence of under-nourishment between the 1980s and 1990s at the national and sub-national levels in India, focusing on the rural-urban comparisons. There has been an apparent increase in the prevalence of under-nourishment over time in rural India, while in urban areas, the prevalence has remained unchanged, or has declined. Also, over time, average intakes in urban areas have surpassed those in rural India in most states. At the same time, there appears to be a decline in the within-state inequalities in energy intakes between 1983 and 1993/94, but an increase (especially in urban areas) between 1993/94 and 1999/2000.
Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292685
- eISBN:
- 9780191596957
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292686.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
A large share of the population in many developing countries suffers from chronic undernutrition. This book provides a detailed comparative study of undernutrition in sub‐Saharan Africa and South ...
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A large share of the population in many developing countries suffers from chronic undernutrition. This book provides a detailed comparative study of undernutrition in sub‐Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two worst affected areas, and provides policy advice for those concerned in nutrition‐cum‐development worldwide. The book concentrates on five theoretical and empirical challenges that undernutrition poses: what undernutrition is, who and how many the undernourished are, where they are, when they are undernourished, and why. Two main measurement methods are conventionally used for estimating the prevalence of undernutrition by country and providing answers to the other w‐questions. One of the methods, proclaimed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), is focused on the distribution of national food supplies (calorie availability) across households and a minimum per person calorie norm. The other method, championed mainly by the World Health Organization (WHO), is based on anthropometric assessments of individuals’ heights and weights. The two methods that provide conflicting answers to all the w‐questions are critically examined from theoretical, conceptual, as well as empirical (data) perspectives. The aggregate food‐supply approach is found to be the least reliable and, moreover, irrelevant for some urgent policy purposes, such as targeting undernourished households in intervention schemes. Also, the anthropometric indicators of undernutrition have serious limitations, but these are less difficult to rectify, and they have more policy relevance. A main conclusion of the policy analysis is that undernutrition is mainly a problem of food affordability at the household level, rather than food availability at the national level. Hence, however measured, undernutrition can never be seriously alleviated unless its root cause, poverty, is attacked.Less
A large share of the population in many developing countries suffers from chronic undernutrition. This book provides a detailed comparative study of undernutrition in sub‐Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two worst affected areas, and provides policy advice for those concerned in nutrition‐cum‐development worldwide. The book concentrates on five theoretical and empirical challenges that undernutrition poses: what undernutrition is, who and how many the undernourished are, where they are, when they are undernourished, and why. Two main measurement methods are conventionally used for estimating the prevalence of undernutrition by country and providing answers to the other w‐questions. One of the methods, proclaimed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), is focused on the distribution of national food supplies (calorie availability) across households and a minimum per person calorie norm. The other method, championed mainly by the World Health Organization (WHO), is based on anthropometric assessments of individuals’ heights and weights. The two methods that provide conflicting answers to all the w‐questions are critically examined from theoretical, conceptual, as well as empirical (data) perspectives. The aggregate food‐supply approach is found to be the least reliable and, moreover, irrelevant for some urgent policy purposes, such as targeting undernourished households in intervention schemes. Also, the anthropometric indicators of undernutrition have serious limitations, but these are less difficult to rectify, and they have more policy relevance. A main conclusion of the policy analysis is that undernutrition is mainly a problem of food affordability at the household level, rather than food availability at the national level. Hence, however measured, undernutrition can never be seriously alleviated unless its root cause, poverty, is attacked.
Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292685
- eISBN:
- 9780191596957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292686.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The national per‐capita food (calorie) availability is by far the most important parameter in the FAO estimations; it explains 97% of the variation in the inter‐country estimates of the prevalence of ...
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The national per‐capita food (calorie) availability is by far the most important parameter in the FAO estimations; it explains 97% of the variation in the inter‐country estimates of the prevalence of undernutrition. In this chapter, the methods used by the FAO to gauge national food supplies (the food balance sheets) are scrutinized, with special attention to sub‐Saharan Africa (where undernutrition is by far the most prevalent according to the FAO). The FAO method is found to be very subjective and the estimates for this region are highly unreliable and, most probably, downward biased. The most compelling evidence of bias comes from South Asia, where the primitive methods still in use in sub‐Saharan Africa for estimating acreage under crops were replaced by scientific methods in the 1960s. It was then found that crops (acreage) had previously been underestimated by some 25% in India and Pakistan.Less
The national per‐capita food (calorie) availability is by far the most important parameter in the FAO estimations; it explains 97% of the variation in the inter‐country estimates of the prevalence of undernutrition. In this chapter, the methods used by the FAO to gauge national food supplies (the food balance sheets) are scrutinized, with special attention to sub‐Saharan Africa (where undernutrition is by far the most prevalent according to the FAO). The FAO method is found to be very subjective and the estimates for this region are highly unreliable and, most probably, downward biased. The most compelling evidence of bias comes from South Asia, where the primitive methods still in use in sub‐Saharan Africa for estimating acreage under crops were replaced by scientific methods in the 1960s. It was then found that crops (acreage) had previously been underestimated by some 25% in India and Pakistan.
Peter Svedberg
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292685
- eISBN:
- 9780191596957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292686.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The calorie norm set up by the FAO to delineate the undernourished in a population has, as its foundation, estimates of the minimum calorie‐expenditure requirements of individuals of different ages ...
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The calorie norm set up by the FAO to delineate the undernourished in a population has, as its foundation, estimates of the minimum calorie‐expenditure requirements of individuals of different ages and sexes, which are subsequently aggregated to the household level (see Ch. 9). The individuals’ minimum calorie requirements are those needed to maintain the lowest body weight that medical studies have found to be consistent with unimpaired health and also to pursue some relatively light physical (work) activity. In this chapter, the many difficulties encountered in the estimations of these minimum requirements are analysed. It is further revealed that the FAO has based its requirements for adults on obsolete data on the basal metabolic rate (BMR), taken from sample populations that are not representative for people living in a tropical climate. The FAO has hence overestimated the calorie requirement in its norm by some 10%.Less
The calorie norm set up by the FAO to delineate the undernourished in a population has, as its foundation, estimates of the minimum calorie‐expenditure requirements of individuals of different ages and sexes, which are subsequently aggregated to the household level (see Ch. 9). The individuals’ minimum calorie requirements are those needed to maintain the lowest body weight that medical studies have found to be consistent with unimpaired health and also to pursue some relatively light physical (work) activity. In this chapter, the many difficulties encountered in the estimations of these minimum requirements are analysed. It is further revealed that the FAO has based its requirements for adults on obsolete data on the basal metabolic rate (BMR), taken from sample populations that are not representative for people living in a tropical climate. The FAO has hence overestimated the calorie requirement in its norm by some 10%.
Pranab Bardhan and Christopher Udry
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198773719
- eISBN:
- 9780191595929
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198773714.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Explores the idea that there is joint causation between income and human capital and that this may generate a poverty trap. It first looks at empirical results on this two‐way causality, namely, at ...
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Explores the idea that there is joint causation between income and human capital and that this may generate a poverty trap. It first looks at empirical results on this two‐way causality, namely, at estimates of the income elasticity of demand for calories and of the effect of education on productivity. It then presents a model of income distribution in an economy with a feedback between income and human capital. The model illustrates how this joint causation, when accompanied by increasing returns in human capital investment and capital market imperfections, may result in persistent income inequality.Less
Explores the idea that there is joint causation between income and human capital and that this may generate a poverty trap. It first looks at empirical results on this two‐way causality, namely, at estimates of the income elasticity of demand for calories and of the effect of education on productivity. It then presents a model of income distribution in an economy with a feedback between income and human capital. The model illustrates how this joint causation, when accompanied by increasing returns in human capital investment and capital market imperfections, may result in persistent income inequality.
Partha Dasgupta
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198288350
- eISBN:
- 9780191596094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198288352.003.0022
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Adaptation to undernourishment is discussed in eight sections: (1) the international incidence of calorie deficiency; (2) genetic, physiological, and behavioural adaptation to undernourishment; (3) ...
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Adaptation to undernourishment is discussed in eight sections: (1) the international incidence of calorie deficiency; (2) genetic, physiological, and behavioural adaptation to undernourishment; (3) short‐term adjustment, or homeostasis; (4) homeostasis and the magnitude of undernourishment; (5) long‐term adaptation; (6) metabolic disequilibrium; (7) food intake, efficient productivity, and stature; and (8) physical activity possibility sets.Less
Adaptation to undernourishment is discussed in eight sections: (1) the international incidence of calorie deficiency; (2) genetic, physiological, and behavioural adaptation to undernourishment; (3) short‐term adjustment, or homeostasis; (4) homeostasis and the magnitude of undernourishment; (5) long‐term adaptation; (6) metabolic disequilibrium; (7) food intake, efficient productivity, and stature; and (8) physical activity possibility sets.
S. R. Osmani (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198283966
- eISBN:
- 9780191684470
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198283966.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This book addresses issues arising from the definition and measurement of poverty in terms of nutritional status. A high degree of nutritional deprivation is considered to be an indicator of poverty. ...
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This book addresses issues arising from the definition and measurement of poverty in terms of nutritional status. A high degree of nutritional deprivation is considered to be an indicator of poverty. Hence the definition of an appropriate nutritional yardstick and its measurement are of crucial significance for determining the level and magnitude of poverty. The book also debates energy-related deprivation and evaluates the respective merits of making comparisons of calorie intake against an average reference standard and making comparisons of anthropometric measurements of the body with some reference standard. Gender bias in the incidence of nutritional deprivation is also considered.Less
This book addresses issues arising from the definition and measurement of poverty in terms of nutritional status. A high degree of nutritional deprivation is considered to be an indicator of poverty. Hence the definition of an appropriate nutritional yardstick and its measurement are of crucial significance for determining the level and magnitude of poverty. The book also debates energy-related deprivation and evaluates the respective merits of making comparisons of calorie intake against an average reference standard and making comparisons of anthropometric measurements of the body with some reference standard. Gender bias in the incidence of nutritional deprivation is also considered.
N. C. Kakwani
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198283966
- eISBN:
- 9780191684470
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198283966.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter examines the measurement of undernutrition in terms of variable calorie requirements. It aims to suggest sensible ways of estimating undernutrition in the absence of the ideal solution ...
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This chapter examines the measurement of undernutrition in terms of variable calorie requirements. It aims to suggest sensible ways of estimating undernutrition in the absence of the ideal solution and to develop a new class of undernutrition measures. It evaluates the usual ‘average norm’ approach and proposes the severity-sensitive measures of undernutrition. It describes the result of the application of the proposed measures to the Indian data which formed the basis of earlier computations carried out by different researchers in 1978, 1981, and 1981.Less
This chapter examines the measurement of undernutrition in terms of variable calorie requirements. It aims to suggest sensible ways of estimating undernutrition in the absence of the ideal solution and to develop a new class of undernutrition measures. It evaluates the usual ‘average norm’ approach and proposes the severity-sensitive measures of undernutrition. It describes the result of the application of the proposed measures to the Indian data which formed the basis of earlier computations carried out by different researchers in 1978, 1981, and 1981.
Sudhir Anand, Christopher Harris, and Oliver Linton
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199239115
- eISBN:
- 9780191716935
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239115.003.0018
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Lipton (1983) defined an individual to be ‘ultrapoor’ if and only if: (i) his calorie intake falls below 0.8 of the intake appropriate for his age, sex, and activity group; and (ii) his foodshare ...
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Lipton (1983) defined an individual to be ‘ultrapoor’ if and only if: (i) his calorie intake falls below 0.8 of the intake appropriate for his age, sex, and activity group; and (ii) his foodshare exceeds 0.8. of the appropriate foodshare. This chapter evaluates Lipton's concept of ultrapoverty. This is done by relating it to the well-established welfare indicator ‘total expenditure’, on the one hand, and to a wide range of housing and other non-monetary indicators on the other. The chapter agues that: (i) while calorie intake does contain important poverty information, it contains less poverty information than total expenditure; and (ii) foodshare contains very little poverty information. Hence, neither of the components of Lipton's double criterion is, on its own, a good criterion for poverty. It further argues that while the double 0.8 (or ‘double-eighty’) criterion may have some merits over each of its components, it is nonetheless inferior to a poverty criterion based simply on total expenditure. A particular feature of the analysis is the chapter's use of non-parametric methods to assess the local strength of the association between calorie intake and foodshare, respectively, against total expenditure.Less
Lipton (1983) defined an individual to be ‘ultrapoor’ if and only if: (i) his calorie intake falls below 0.8 of the intake appropriate for his age, sex, and activity group; and (ii) his foodshare exceeds 0.8. of the appropriate foodshare. This chapter evaluates Lipton's concept of ultrapoverty. This is done by relating it to the well-established welfare indicator ‘total expenditure’, on the one hand, and to a wide range of housing and other non-monetary indicators on the other. The chapter agues that: (i) while calorie intake does contain important poverty information, it contains less poverty information than total expenditure; and (ii) foodshare contains very little poverty information. Hence, neither of the components of Lipton's double criterion is, on its own, a good criterion for poverty. It further argues that while the double 0.8 (or ‘double-eighty’) criterion may have some merits over each of its components, it is nonetheless inferior to a poverty criterion based simply on total expenditure. A particular feature of the analysis is the chapter's use of non-parametric methods to assess the local strength of the association between calorie intake and foodshare, respectively, against total expenditure.
Johannes H. Bauer and Stephen L. Helfand
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199568765
- eISBN:
- 9780191774591
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199568765.003.0014
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Reducing the calories in the diet of animals has long been known to extend life span significantly in the majority of species tested. Even in cases where life span is not extended, the animals ...
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Reducing the calories in the diet of animals has long been known to extend life span significantly in the majority of species tested. Even in cases where life span is not extended, the animals experience beneficial effects on overall health. Understanding the molecular basis for these effects will make it possible to develop interventions that might reproduce its beneficial health effects in humans. This chapter summarizes what is currently known about calorie restriction/dietary restriction in a variety of model systems and highlights the molecular events that mediate its effects.Less
Reducing the calories in the diet of animals has long been known to extend life span significantly in the majority of species tested. Even in cases where life span is not extended, the animals experience beneficial effects on overall health. Understanding the molecular basis for these effects will make it possible to develop interventions that might reproduce its beneficial health effects in humans. This chapter summarizes what is currently known about calorie restriction/dietary restriction in a variety of model systems and highlights the molecular events that mediate its effects.
