A model of food selection in Northern Thailand

Abstract

A large number of clinical, biochemical, and food intake surveys have demonstrated that inadequate dietary practices are found in Southeast Asia. But the pattern of behavior that leads to inadequate food selection and malnutrition is poorly understood. This is due, in part, to the lack of explicit models of food selection appropriate for testing under field conditions. In this paper data on food use in a Northern Thai village are briefly examined, and then used in construction of a model of food selection. The model is a variation of the linear programming technique. It is argued that models of this type will provide a useful guide and stimulus for future social science research related to the epidemiology of malnutrition.