Food Economics Assignment

Food Economics Course Project

• Your reports will be reviewed by supervisor during writing up and will be
graded for the final copy.
• 5-7 students in each group for the assignment.
Assignment: Consumer food security level and health outcome
Food security has been defined by the FAO as consistent physical, social and
economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritionally diverse food to meet
dietary needs and food preferences for active and healthy life. Food insecurity
occurs when there is uncertainty that a sufficient quantity or quality of food will
be available because of financial, social or physical constrictions. If the family is
not food secure the consequence will be found in the short or long term
presented as negative health outcomes e.g. disease and nutritional health
associated conditions for examples obesity in childhood or adults with the
related diseases such as diabetes.
Purpose:
1-To help you gain a better understanding of community food
economics by investigating elements of the food security in your local
community, city, or region (i.e. access, availability, likeability of the food
and prices).
2- To do a field data collection about personal information, food buying
habits, food security status and health outcome using the provided
questionnaire.
 Instructions :
• Prepare the critique as if you were being hired as a consultant to the Ministry
or Secretary of Health or Agriculture.
• You are expected to summarize and critique, in a succinct, readable, expert
and highly informative way, a nutritional problem in a specific context (district,
region in our country).
• What is your job?
1-Make the group
2-Choose the leader
3-Read the assignment sheet
4-Divide tasks and sections of the report among the group
5-Collecting the data
6-Do the analysis
7-Writing the report and review it before submitting drafts
8-Submitting the assignment before the deadline in the black board.
Description:
• A description of the community and analyzing data from the
questionnaire included with this sheet should be done.
• Use online resources and site visits to collect data about the
availability of different food types in your city or region.
• Please include factors such as location, cost, gaps in food
accessibility, and other challenges faced by members of your
community How this affect the health outcome in the
diseases or common nutritional problems assigned to your
group.
 Writing the report:
• Format: The report should contain eight sections. Students should write the report in
the following order of sections:
1-introdcution: A single paragraph summarizing your whole report sections and
content and the nutritional problem your group have to do in relation to the food
security status found from the questionnaire and the main findings with your
conclusion.
2-Nutritional Problem/ disease: briefly describe the nutritional problem being
addressed by the assignment – including; definition, what is the symptoms or criteria,
how does it occur or why it occurs in relation to nutritional factors, who is at risk, the
prevalence of this disease or condition in Saudi Arabia or in the world,
health/nutritional consequences.
3- Community Description: Urban, rural, suburban; geographic location; if it the same
city to different districts or city zones; area size, transportation, infrastructure; other
factors unique to your area that should have an impact on food availability.
4- Characteristics of the people living in your community: population, socio-economic
status (SES), age, educational level, race/ethnicity, employment, etc.
5- The prevalence of food insecurity in the area you collect data from.
 Writing the report:
6- Food Sources and Availability: • Where people obtain food in or near the
community, such as large supermarkets, small grocers, … etc. • Locations of these food
sources and variations in use and accessibility by community members . • Types of
food available. • Short price listing of at least the staple food (rice, meat types, breads,
fruits and vegetables, diary products, eggs, fish, fresh drinks and local food items).
7- Conclusions and Recommendations: Critique the strengths and limitations of the
way food availability and security spread in the area you have studied. Offer
suggestions on what could be done to improve the food security for this area and this
at risk group.
8-References: Cite references in text using number in () and list in back of report. •
References may include textbook from library, reports, scientific literature or articles
(e.g. using PubMed or other search engines), UN Agency survey reports, governmental
bodies such as (FAO, USDA, FDA, WHO) to support your report. • Materials obtained
on the web should be cited in a format similar to journal articles, books, etc. • To use
at least 2-3 journal articles from library or search engine for scientific paper such as
pub med to support your argument.
 Writing the report:
Length:
• 15 pages, double spaced, 12 point font text.
• Additional tables, figures and references as required to support the
basic thesis of the report and to be referenced in the text.
• Sample to be collected: If 10 households or respondents have been
contacted, this should be enough for this training purpose.
Food Economics Research Topics:
• Diabetes millets • Gout
• Obesity • Alzheimer's disease
• Iron deficiency Anemia
• Autism
• Breast cancer
• Food allergy
• Diarrhea & Constipation
• Osteoporosis • Down syndrome
• Child obesity • Cardiovascular disease
• Underweight • Hepatitis
• Renal failure • AIDS
• Asthma • Irritable bowel syndrome
• Tuberculosis (TB) • Measles
• Prostate cancer
• Fever
Questionnaire:
1- General community and population characteristics
information.
2- Income and other source of income items.
3- Food insecurity items.
4-Shopping habits and food sources.
5- The disease and condition related item.
(Questionnaire is attached in assignment file)
 Food Economics Assignment Evaluation Criteria
No Component Reference Marks Marks

1 Cover Page 1

2 List of Contents 1

3 Introduction 1

4 Review 2

5
Sec. (1) 1
General community and population characteristics information:

6
Sec (2) 1
The income and other source of income items

7
Sec (3) 3
The food insecurity items

8
Sec (4) 1
Shopping habits and food sources

9
Sec (5) 1
The disease and condition related items
10 Conclusion 1

11 Recommendations 1

12 References 1

Total 15