Sex wise comparison of associating factors of knowledge regarding food adulteration in urban Jaipur: A cross-sectional analytic study
Abstract
Adulteration of food is an old age problem though out the world. It is a major problem in developing world like India. There are many acts for preventing adulteration of food and consumers are assumed to know their responsibilities regarding food adulteration. So this observational study was conducted to know the awareness status of male and females regarding food adulteration and the factors associating this knowledge in males and females. For this 150 males and 150 females were interrogated and significance of difference in proportion of male and females were inferred by Chisquare test. It was found that only 10% subjects have good knowledge regarding adulteration. On sex wise comparison of this knowledge, 6% males’s scored good marks in comparison to 14% females. So females were having better knowledge than males regarding food adulteration. Association of knowledge score of males was found to be associated with educational qualification, occupation and eating habits are small (p<0.05) whereas in females it was found to associated with monthly family income, educational qualification and occupation are small (p<0.05). So demographic variables which have statistically significant association with knowledge regarding food adulteration and consumer protection were more of less similar in males and females i.e. Educational qualification and occupation. In Females monthly income whereas in males eating habits was addition associated factor found to be associated with knowledge food adulteration and consumer protection.
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Introduction
Adulteration means when the quality of the food is lowered or affected by the addition of substances which are injurious to health or by the removal of substances which are nutritious. It is defined as the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient.1
Adulteration of food is an old age problem. It consists of a large number of practices, e.g., mixing, substitution, concealing the quality, putting up decomposed food for sale, misbranding or giving false labels and addition of toxicants. Adulteration results in two disadvantages for the consumer: first, he is paying more money for a food stuff of lower quality: secondly, some forms of adulteration are injurious to health, even resulting in death. 1,2
The main purpose of adulteration is the tendency to make more money on the part of some selfish traders by using unfair means. Adulteration on a commercial scale plays with people’s health for petty profit. The antisocial elements responsible for adulteration use newer techniques each time, to throw dust in the eyes of the community and the administration.1,2
Conclusion
It can be concluded from this present study that only 10% were having good knowledge about adulteration. Only 6% males having good knowledge regarding food adulteration and consumer protection in comparison of 14% females. Females were more knowledgeable regarding food adulteration and consumer protection than males. And when comparison of associating factors in males and females were discovered with the knowledge of males and females it was revealed that that educational qualification and occupation were common in both but eating habits was additional demographic variables associating with knowledge of males regarding food adulteration and consumer protection in males whereas it was monthly income in females.