MEDIA ACCESSIBILITY,

UTILISATION AND
PREFERENCE FOR FOOD AND
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
BY RURAL WOMEN OF INDIA
KARUNYA VINUKONDA,
MSC NHC SY, CMC DEPT, SNDT
TITLE: Media accessibility, utilization and
preference for food and nutritional
information by rural women on India.
Authors: Shweta Upadhyay, A.R.Kumar,
R.S. Raghuvanshi and B.B. Singh
Source: J Communication, 2 (I): 33-40
(2011)
INTRODUCTION
Womens progress countrys progress.
INDIA: Women constitute 48.2% of the
total population, a bulk of which live in
rural areas.
Some lack adequate food- some-
adequate choices (Vijayaraghavan 2002)
Nutritional problems not only affect
growth and development but also
livelihoods.
INTRODUCTION
Under nutrition, anemia, vitamin A
deficiency, iodine deficiency and
overweight or obesity.
WHO (2009) emphasized mass
information and awareness programs to
be organised

INTRODUCTION
Nutrition education is an important means
for improving the nutritional status of the
country. (Joachim and Swaminathan
2004)
Indian set up: food and women.
So women are a main resource with the
possibility to change the attitude of whole
family.
INTRODUCTION
Mass media plays a strong advocacy role
for creating awareness and bringing
about action for health.
Media serves as the most popular source
of nutrition information for the public
(Hindin et al. 2004)
Nutrition education through appropriate
communication procedure- important tool

INTRODUCTION
Food and nutrition board is also carrying
out and emphasizing media activities
involving development of educational and
training material including audio and
video aids (GOI 2010)
The study-designed to find out the
preference of rural women for various
media about nutritional information in hill
areas of Uttarakhand state, India.
OBJECTIVES
To examine the different mass media
utilised by the rural women
To determine the relationship between
utilization of the media and socio-
demographic characteristics of rural
women
To identify media preference of rural
women for dissemination of food and
nutrition related information
METHODOLOGY
SAMPLE SELECTION:
Bhimtal block of Nainital district 3
villages were selected.
Malnutrition is highly prevalent in the
State.
Prevalence of anemia is 55.2% in the
women.
Anaemia, vitamin A and iodine deficiency
SAMPLE
SELECTION
3 villages were selected using purposive
sampling
Age group: 18-45 years
Sample size :223
Data collected with the help of well
structured and validated interview
schedule

RESULTS
GENERAL INFORMATION ON SOCIO-
ECONOMIC INDICATORS:
Age, educational status, marital status,
family income.
Height and weight BMI

RESULTS
RESULTS
POSSESSION &UTILISATION OF MASS
MEDIA BY RURAL HILL WOMEN


RESULTS
RESULTS
RESULTS
PREFERENCE OF MEDIA FOR
NUTRITION RELATED INFORMATION


RESULTS
RESULTS
RESULTS
Pictorial superiority effect
Entertainment value of television
Katz et al 2006

RESULTS
EFFECT OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC
FACTORS ON MEDIA UTILIZATION
Regression analysis of socio-
demographic variables influencing
utilization of mass media as sources of
information.
RESULTS
RESULTS
The variables: income, age, educational
level and marital status could be good
predictors and determinants of the use of
mass media by rural women as sources
of food and nutritional information.
CONCLUSION
The study was on assessment of
preference of selected mass media as
sources of nutritional information by rural
women in hill areas of Uttarakhand State
of India.
Majority of subjects were in the age group
of 25-25 years with a high level of formal
schooling

CONCLUSION
Existing media possessed by rural
women was television, radio and print
media.
Television and radio were rated as 1st
and 2
nd
most preferred media
Income, age, educational level and
marital status has positive and significant
relationship with the utilization of media
RECOMMENDATIONS
Government should launch specific
training and educational programs for
rural women.
Content of media should specifically
tailored. Culturally tailored pictures.
Women specific programs should be
broadcasted TV and radio.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Pictorial information delivery should
contribute to 4 components: engagement,
comprehension, information retention and
behavior change.
REFERENCES
Critically analysing a research paper by
BACP
Critical analysis by University of Sussex
How to critically appraise an article by
Jane M Young and Michael Solomon