Nutrition Transition (SL IB Geography)

The Nutrient Transition

• The Nutrient Transition is a model showing advancement in diet, in relation to demographic, economic and social change
• It shows changes in diet and associated diseases as societies progress
• The Nutrition Transition has five sections:
  • 1: Hunter Gatherer 
    • Palaeolithic man
    • Traditional early lifestyle
  • 2: Early Agriculture
    • Early monoculture
    • Famine begins
  • 3: End of famine
    • Period of industrialisation 
    • Wealth increases
    • Nutrition gradually improves
  • 4: Overconsumption
    • Noncommunicable or chronic diseases
    • Wealth increases
  • 5: Behaviour change
    • Societal change and development 

The Nutrition Transition 

The Nutrition Transition 

• LICS are typically located in patterns 1-3, where they are slowly moving to pattern 4:
  • Many countries have moved to a Western diet. It is more energy-dense, bringing with it more diseases associated with Pattern 4 diets
• HICs are located in patterns 4 and 5

• Food consumption varies within countries and between countries
• Diets may vary depending on the pattern of the nutrition transition 

Coefficient of Variation in calorie intake 

• The coefficient of variation measures how dispersed the data is from the mean (how much change there is from the average of a data set)
• The coefficient of variation for calorie intake shows the inequalities of calorie intake within a population 
• A higher coefficient of variation shows there is more inequality
• African, Asian and South American regions have more calorie intake inequalities:
• There are stark differences between the rich and poor in these countries

• Obesity is much higher in much of the Americas, Europe, North Asia and Oceania
• Obesity is lower in much of Africa and Southern Asia
• Some countries within Africa are higher:
  • Caused by dietary change from traditional to more Westernised choices 
  • A result of increasing urbanisation, reduced activity and improvements in transport

Variations of food type 

Food type	Regional variation
Fruits	The Americas, Europe, Northern Asia and Oceania consume moderate to higher fruit densities  Lower rates of fruit consumption lie in the African continent and some Asian regions  There are numerous anomalies. Countries like Ghana, Malawi and Uganda have a higher fruit consumption than many Western countries  Countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Lithuania and Cambodia (among others) also show unusual anomalies
Vegetables	North America, Europe, Asia (excluding East Asia), and Oceania have a higher vegetable consumption Much of North Africa also has a higher vegetable consumption, but Southern Africa and parts of West Africa are much lower  Lower rates are also found in parts of South America
Sugars and Sweeteners	The Americas, Europe, Oceania, North, South and Central Asia, as well as parts of northern and southern Africa, consume high amounts of sugar and sweetener  East Asia and much of central Africa have lower rates of sugar and sweetener consumption. Countries like China, Niger and Ethiopia (among others) consumed less than 25g a day in 2015 Overall, global sugar and sweetener consumption is relatively high, with much of the world consuming more than 75g per day in 2015
Meat consumption	Meat consumption is higher in America, Europe, Northern Asia and Oceania. Africa and South/East Asia have lower meat consumption rates  North Korea is an anomaly