MSc

A study entitled the "Attitude of urban and rural homemakers towards
convenience foods" in Thiruvananthapuram district was conducted to assess
the attitude of urban and rural homemakers towards convenience foods with
reference to their consumption pattern and perception on economy of
convenience foods.
The study was carried out in urban and rural wards of Thiruvananthapuram
district. Hundred families each from urban and rural area were selected for
the study.
Consumption pattern of convenience foods, attitude towards
convenience foods and perception about economy of convenience foods were
taken as the dependent variables. Age of the respondents, type of family,
family size, educational status of the respondents, occupational status of the
respondent, annual income of the family and the respondents, mass media
contact, extension contact, monthly expenditure and dietary pattern were
taken as the independent variables.
The results revealed that the monthly expenditure on convenience
foods was more among the urban families than in rural families. Frequency
score was also high among the urban homemakers.
Considering the attitude towards convenience foods, the mean score of
the attitude in urban homemakers were high when compared to rural
homemakers. The same is in the case of perception about the economy of
convenience foods.

It was found out that occupation of the respondents, income of the
respondent, income of the family and monthly expenditure pattern had
positive significant association with the monthly expenditure on convenience
foods and frequency of purchase of convenience foods.
Correlation analysis showed that most of the selected independent
variables had a positive significant relationship with the dependent variables.
It was observed that the urban home makers ranked saving time aspect
as the first while in rural area first preference was easy to prepare. There was
wide variations in the ranking pattern of urban and rural homemakers when
the reasons for using convenience foods were considered.
Comparative analysis of the convenience food used in special
occasions and physiological conditions revealed that the urban and rural
families used convenience foods more in the occasion of birthday and in the
pre-school / school age.
Multiple regression analysis showed that majority of the variables had
no significant effect on the attitude towards convenience foods, perception on
economy of convenience foods and percentage of the total monthly food
expenditure spent on convenience foods.