Assessing the millet consumption behaviour among students

Abstract

Millets, often referred to as “smart food,” are considered beneficial for individuals, the environment and farmers. Despite their advantages, millet production and consumption have declined due to changes in dietary habits and lifestyle shifts, contributing to various nutritional and health issues. Recently, millets have regained popularity due to their numerous health benefits, environmental sustainability and role in promoting food security, as well as their low agricultural inputs, minimal water requirements and potential to provide food and nutritional security. The study aimed to assess both awareness and consumption patterns of millets among students. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from students in the disciplines of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition and Agricultural Engineering. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and associations between categorical variables were analysed using the Chi-square test. Results revealed that 87.7 % of respondents were aware of millets, with 45.7 % acknowledging that social media plays a significant role in creating awareness about millets. Among the social media tools, the most prevalent source of millet awareness was food informative blogs (55.6 %), followed by Instagram (43.2 %) and WhatsApp (39.5 %). For respondents who consumed millets, the primary reasons for consumption were the high iron content (72.8 %) and its suitability for diabetics (61.7 %). Additionally, 69.1 % of respondents confirmed that they believed millets were healthy. The most common forms in which students consumed millets were dosa and ready-to-eat food, reported by 19.8 % and 17.3 % of respondents, respectively. These findings suggest that increased awareness about millets contributes to their consumption among students. Therefore, nutrition education on the benefits and uses of millets is crucial to promote their consumption further.