Small fish consumption in rural Myanmar

Maritime Studies · 3 authors, 4 centres

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TL;DR

Women reported consuming less fresh fish than men and below a recommended daily intake.

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This cross-sectional study surveyed fish consumption among rural households in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Delta. The central finding is that aquatic foods, especially small fish in fresh, dried, and paste forms, are crucial to the diet, with a calculated total consumption of 32 kg/capita/year. The average reported fresh fish intake for women was 36% lower than that for men (84 g vs 132 g) and fell below the EAT-Lancet recommended daily intake. The discussion highlights the continued reliance on wild-caught small fish despite aquaculture growth and notes that women's lower intake may require targeted nutrition promotion. Limitations include the use of 24-hour recall and potential reporting biases, which could affect the accuracy of the consumption estimates. The implications suggest a need for gender-sensitive approaches and continued education to improve nutritional intake, particularly for women and children.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

nutrition

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10113121

Small fish consumption in rural Myanmar

Maritime Studies

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Assessments of fish consumption are based primarily on data from household surveys that do not capture information on the intra-household distribution of the size or species of fish consumed. Such studies can yield partial or misleading information about the adequacy of aquatic food consumption. We address this gap by focusing on individual-level fish consumption within the household, using data from a survey conducted in a rural part of the Ayeyarwady Region in Myanmar—an area with high levels of fish consumption. We disaggregate fish consumption by the gender of household members and by the quantity, species, and size of fish eaten, estimating quantities of fish consumed using models for reference, to identify gendered patterns of fish consumption at the intrahousehold level. We find higher average levels of fish consumption than reported in previous consumption surveys in Myanmar. Moreover, small fish are consumed more frequently than larger-sized fish. The popularity of small fish species highlights the continued reliance of survey respondents on wild fish stocks, despite all surveyed households also practicing small-scale aquaculture. The average consumption of fresh fish reported by women was 36% lower than that reported by men. Men were more likely to eat large fish species, but women ate more small fish, which may contain higher levels of micronutrients vital for addressing nutrient deficiencies. Keywords: Aquatic foods, Small indigenous fish species, Food and nutrition security, Fish-based processed products, Myanmar

CITATION EXPORT

Quennie Vi Rizaldo, Wae Win Khaing, Ben Belton. Small fish consumption in rural Myanmar. Maritime Studies. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00304-6

AUTHORS

3 · 4 CENTRES

Quennie Vi Rizaldo, Wae Win Khaing, Ben Belton

1WorldFish, Yangon, Myanmar
2University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
3WorldFish, Penang Bayan Lepas, Malaysia
4Department of Agricultural Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI USA