MALNUTRITION AND THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL VARIATION WITH EVIDENCE FROM INDIA AND THE PHILIPPINES

This paper estimates the proportions of variations in the intakes of dietary energy and protein due to interindividual and intraindividual differences using four rounds of 24-hour recall data from India and the Philippines. The variances are estimated in a dynamic error components framework assuming that the number of individuals tends to infinity. It is noted that these proportions are affected by socioeconomic factors in developing countries and that the relative contribution of the within variation is likely to decline with rises in incomes. A comparison of the maximum likelihood estimates for the two countries and a breakdown of the samples by household incomes supports this hypothesis. Some implications of the results are also discussed.