Household Milk consumption and Its Socio-economic Associates in West Azarbayejan Province, North-west Iran

Background and Objectives: According to the available evidence, consumption of milk and other dairy products among Iranians is far less than recommendations. The share of different milks (i.e., traditionally vs. industrially processed) and its associated variables are, however, neither consistent nor fully known in different Provinces.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine household milk consumption and its association with selected socio-demographic factors in West Azarbayejan Province, North-west Iran. A total of 650 households were selected from urban and rural areas in three major Azeri and Kurdish districts (i.e. Urmia, Khoy and Mahabad) using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using socio-economic and milk frequency questionnaires. Results: The findings indicated that traditionally-processed milk (bulk) was the most common milk consumed at household level (62.5%). Mean of bulk milk consumption in urban and rural areas was 479±23 and 730±64 ml/wk per capita, respectively. It was also shown that establishment of the new food subsidization policy has decreased the mean of household milk consumption by approximately 3 l/wk in urban areas. Factor analysis detected a significant decrease in the higher tertiles of family size/ethnicity score consumption of both bulk and pasteurized milk, which resulted in decreased consumption of total milk. Conclusions: Designing and implementation of alternative approaches, such as targeted milk subsidies for poor households or vulnerable age-groups should be considered. Keywords: Household milk consumption, Milk processing method, Socio-economic variables, Iran.