Mobile Phone and Status of Food Intake by the Study Group in Bangladesh

The telecom sector in Bangladesh, like many other developing countries, has seen growth in mobile penetration that has surpassed all expectations. In this context, a household survey-based study has been conducted to explore the impact of rural telecom on the status of daily food intake scenario in the study area. Multiple tools of methodology have been used in this study. Various techniques (both quantitative and qualitative) were employed to explore the situation of mobile phone user in rural areas of Bangladesh. Purposive random sampling and case study method have been pursued to collect information from the respondents. In consonance with the conceptual framework, an in-depth interview schedule was constructed to collect the data from the primary sources. The major food items the rural population is used to with were rice, potato, flour, lentil, fish, oil, milk, meat, egg, fruits, sugar, and vegetables. The survey also shows that consumptions of some food items (fish, egg, meat, oil, milk, and fruits) are higher by the phone users compared to those by the other two groups. Intake of protein and fat-based items are found more by Private Telecom Company owners than others. In addition, the extracted result would provoke the government for initiating public–private partnerships to reach the village poor with mobile phone heavily subsidized so that the people with comparatively low income could have easy access to communication device thus enhancing their living standard. The analytical model sketched in this study may be useful in justifying the extension of information and communication technology sectors in the rural areas being one of the first its kind in Bangladesh; the study has the potential to be the basis for future studies in the context of Bangladesh. Aus. J. Bus. Sco S. & IT. Vol  4(1),  January 2018, P 15-22