Longitudinal analysis of the intrahousehold distribution of foods in rural Nepal: Relative variability of child dietary quality across age and sex cohorts

Individual-level dietary data within households are rarely observed over extended periods of time, which limits our understanding of intrahousehold food allocation dynamics. This study explores whether and how dietary patterns of children within households changed over a four-year period in rural Nepal. Fixed-effects analysis of the panel data indicates that there were not disparities in dietary variability between girls and boys, but that there were disparities in dietary variability across age groups. Older children had slightly higher dietary diversity, and their diets were more likely to change as household diets changed, especially for animal sourced foods. For younger children, diets were less diverse but slightly more stable over time. This stability may protect younger children when household diets decline in quality, but younger children may be left out when household dietary quality improves. In contrast, older children reap more gains relative to younger children when household dietary quality improves, but would also bear the brunt of food shortages when they arise. These results emphasize the importance of examining differences in dietary quality within households across age groups, especially for children over five years of age who are less likely to be targeted by international nutrition interventions and programs.