Table 1.
Multivariate research hypotheses overview.
| Variables | Issue | Hypothesis | Main hypothesis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dietary intake | Poor diet quality and high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies among the urban poor, particularly women of reproductive age and young children. | Nutrition insecurity is related to access to dietary diversity and food safety, and nutritional knowledge and attitudes. | Diversified retail provision (acknowledging the value of traditional fresh food vending structures) will contribute to more diversified and nutritionally balanced diets; in other words, dietary diversity requires retail diversity |
| System of provision (SoP) | Food retail transformations are demonstrated to socially exclude urban poor populations; there exists a service delivery failure. | Access to dietary diversity and food safety is related to SoP (access to and type of retail food provisioning) | |
| Food shopping practices | Income is an important factor influencing consumer access to food, but time/spatial characteristics, household composition, social/family networks and cultural characteristics as well. | Practical access to retail food provisioning for consumers is related to the organization of everyday life. | |
| Lifestyles | Urbanization and modernization are leading to fundamental lifestyle changes, which include shifts in household composition and occupation, and subsequent shifts in cultural meanings and understandings. | The organization of everyday life including food purchasing and food preparation is importantly shaped by lifestyle changes | |
| Food safety risk perception and trust | Food safety is a prominent concern among all urban consumers, but formalized and officially guaranteed food safety systems are focusing on modern retail infrastructures | Formalized food safety guarantees are out-off reach of the urban poor | |
| Nutrition knowledge and attitudes | There is limited nutritional knowledge and positive attitudes towards the importance of selecting healthy and nutritious foods | Correct knowledge and positive attitudes are related to positive dietary quality and practices. |