scholarly journals Household Water Insecurity Is Common and Associated With Higher Odds of Hunger and Lower Dietary Diversity Across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 668-668
Author(s):  
Joshua Miller ◽  
Sera Young ◽  
Elizabeth Bryan ◽  
Claudia Ringler
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Random Coefficient Models ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Household Water

Abstract Objectives Household water insecurity may exacerbate poor nutrition (e.g., via limited water to produce or prepare preferred foods) and health, but comparable quantification of water access and use has only recently become possible. We therefore aimed to assess the prevalence of household water insecurity and estimate its association with dietary diversity, hunger, and illness. Methods The International Food Policy Research Institute is conducting panel phone surveys among a random subsample of men and women in ongoing studies to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys last 20–30 minutes and include information about respondent and household characteristics; experiences with household water insecurity [using the Household Water Insecurity Experiences Scale-4 (HWISE-4), range: 0–12], hunger, and illness in the prior 2 weeks; and 24-hour dietary recall (range: 0–10 food groups). We assessed the relationship between water insecurity and dietary diversity, hunger, and illness using random coefficient models (which account for variation by site and adjust for measured confounders) among sites with available baseline data: Senegal (interviews conducted June 2020, n = 501), Nepal (July 2020, n = 759), Ghana (September 2020, n = 543), Nigeria (September 2020, n = 501), Kenya (October 2020, n = 547), and Niger (October 2020, n = 364). Additional data from other sites and timepoints are forthcoming. Results The prevalence of water insecurity (HWISE-4 scores > 3) ranged from 8.9% of sampled households in Nepal to 47.4% in Ghana. In bivariate analyses for each site, household water insecurity did not differ by respondent sex but was consistently lower among households that had an on-premises compared to off-premises water source [e.g., mean, 2.3 vs. 3.7, p < 0.001 in Senegal]. In adjusted models across all sites, greater water insecurity was associated with lower dietary diversity (B: –0.08; 95% CI: –0.10, –0.05), and higher odds of experiencing hunger (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.14) and having an ill household member (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.07). Conclusions Water insecurity is experienced by many households and may be an important determinant of nutritional and physical well-being. Funding Sources The Bureau for Resilience and Food Security at the United States Agency for International Development.

scholarly journals How Seasonal Is the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Children Indicator? An Investigation in Three Countries on Three Continents: Senegal, Nepal and Peru

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 570-570
Author(s):  
Andrew Thorne-Lyman ◽  
Helen Kuo ◽  
Angela KC ◽  
Swetha Manohar ◽  
Binod Shrestha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Child Growth ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Ecological Variability ◽  
Feed The Future ◽  
Minimum Dietary Diversity ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives A diverse diet helps to assure adequate micronutrient intakes and normal child growth and development. The revised minimum dietary diversity (MDD) indicator for children 6–23 months (>5 of 8 food groups) is often used to track dietary quality over time, but the influence of seasonality has not been explored. Methods We identified surveys with MDD data across seasons including national continuous Demographic Health Surveys in Senegal (2012–2017, N = 12,183) and Peru (2004–16, N = 36,044) and the PoSHAN substudy seasonal surveys (covering 3 seasons) in Nepal (2013–2016, N = 1364). MDD prevalence and mean food groups were estimated. In Senegal and Peru, data were disaggregated by rainy/dry season and month. Results In Senegal, MDD prevalence was similar in the rainy (10.8%) and dry (9.6%) seasons. In Nepal, MDD prevalence was stable at 35.1–34.9% from the monsoon of 2013 through the end of 2014, and then increased to 41.7–47.7% from the winter 2014 through monsoon seasons of 2015 and 2016. In Peru, the prevalence of MDD ranged from 62% in May to 72% in January, but region-season interactions were apparent, perhaps due to agro-ecological variability. Large variance existed for the MDD indicator for many datasets, with mean scores showing greater stability across seasons. Conclusions There can be periods of seasonal stability as observed in Senegal and the first two years of Nepal data, but also sustained change. Relative national stability can obscure seasonal patterns by, as seen in Peru. Variability by season may influence conclusions about change over time in some contexts if month of data collection is not considered. Funding Sources Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, funded by the United States Agency for International Development under grant ID: AID-OAA-L-1–00006.

scholarly journals Modeling impacts of faster productivity growth to inform the CGIAR initiative on Crops to End Hunger

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Wiebe ◽  
Timothy B Sulser ◽  
Shahnila Dunston ◽  
Mark W. Rosegrant ◽  
Keith Fuglie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
United States Department ◽  
The Impact

In 2017-2018, a group of international development funding agencies launched the Crops to End Hunger initiative to modernize public plant breeding in lower-income countries. To inform that initiative, USAID asked the International Food Policy Research Institute and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service to estimate the impacts of faster productivity growth for 20 food crops on income and other indicators in 106 countries in developing regions in 2030. We first estimated the value of production in 2015 for each crop using data from FAO. We then used the IMPACT and GLOBE economic models to estimate changes in the value of production and changes in economy-wide income under scenarios of faster crop productivity growth, assuming that increased investment will raise annual rates of yield growth by 25% above baseline growth rates over the period 2015-2030. We found that faster productivity growth in rice, wheat and maize increased economy-wide income in the selected countries in 2030 by 59 billion USD, 27 billion USD and 21 billion USD respectively, followed by banana and yams with increases of 9 billion USD each. While these amounts represent small shares of total GDP, they are 2-15 times current public R&D spending on food crops in developing countries. Income increased most in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Faster productivity growth in rice and wheat reduced the population at risk of hunger by 11 million people and 6 million people respectively, followed by plantain and cassava with reductions of about 2 million people each. Changes in adequacy ratios were relatively large for carbohydrates (already in surplus) and relatively small for micronutrients. In general, we found that impacts of faster productivity growth vary widely across crops, regions and outcome indicators, highlighting the importance of identifying the potentially diverse objectives of different decision makers and recognizing possible tradeoffs between objectives.

scholarly journals The Household Water InSecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale: development and validation of a household water insecurity measure for low-income and middle-income countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. e001750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sera L Young ◽  
Godfred O Boateng ◽  
Zeina Jamaluddine ◽  
Joshua D Miller ◽  
Edward A Frongillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Random Coefficient Models ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Household Water

ObjectiveProgress towards equitable and sufficient water has primarily been measured by population-level data on water availability. However, higher-resolution measures of water accessibility, adequacy, reliability and safety (ie, water insecurity) are needed to understand how problems with water impact health and well-being. Therefore, we developed the Household Water InSecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale to measure household water insecurity in an equivalent way across disparate cultural and ecological settings.MethodsCross-sectional surveys were implemented in 8127 households across 28 sites in 23 low-income and middle-income countries. Data collected included 34 items on water insecurity in the prior month; socio-demographics; water acquisition, use and storage; household food insecurity and perceived stress. We retained water insecurity items that were salient and applicable across all sites. We used classical test and item response theories to assess dimensionality, reliability and equivalence. Construct validity was assessed for both individual and pooled sites using random coefficient models.FindingsTwelve items about experiences of household water insecurity were retained. Items showed unidimensionality in factor analyses and were reliable (Cronbach’s alpha 0.84 to 0.93). The average non-invariance rate was 0.03% (threshold <25%), indicating equivalence of measurement and meaning across sites. Predictive, convergent and discriminant validity were also established.ConclusionsThe HWISE Scale measures universal experiences of household water insecurity across low-income and middle-income countries. Its development ushers in the ability to quantify the prevalence, causes and consequences of household water insecurity, and can contribute an evidence base for clinical, public health and policy recommendations regarding water.

scholarly journals Modeling impacts of faster productivity growth to inform the CGIAR initiative on Crops to End Hunger

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249994
Author(s):  
Keith Wiebe ◽  
Timothy B. Sulser ◽  
Shahnila Dunston ◽  
Mark W. Rosegrant ◽  
Keith Fuglie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
United States Department ◽  
The Impact

In 2017–2018, a group of international development funding agencies launched the Crops to End Hunger initiative to modernize public plant breeding in lower-income countries. To inform that initiative, USAID asked the International Food Policy Research Institute and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service to estimate the impacts of faster productivity growth for 20 food crops on income and other indicators in 106 countries in developing regions in 2030. We first estimated the value of production in 2015 for each crop using data from FAO. We then used the IMPACT and GLOBE economic models to estimate changes in the value of production and changes in economy-wide income under scenarios of faster crop productivity growth, assuming that increased investment will raise annual rates of yield growth by 25% above baseline growth rates over the period 2015–2030. We found that faster productivity growth in rice, wheat and maize increased economy-wide income in the selected countries in 2030 by 59 billion USD, 27 billion USD and 21 billion USD respectively, followed by banana and yams with increases of 9 billion USD each. While these amounts represent small shares of total GDP, they are 2–15 times current public R&D spending on food crops in developing countries. Income increased most in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Faster productivity growth in rice and wheat reduced the population at risk of hunger by 11 million people and 6 million people respectively, followed by plantain and cassava with reductions of about 2 million people each. Changes in adequacy ratios were relatively large for carbohydrates (already in surplus) and relatively small for micronutrients. In general, we found that impacts of faster productivity growth vary widely across crops, regions and outcome indicators, highlighting the importance of identifying the potentially diverse objectives of different decision makers and recognizing possible tradeoffs between objectives.

scholarly journals Measuring the Impact of Nutrition Sensitive Interventions on Diet: A Systematic Review of Tools and Indicators (P10-133-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Gonzalez Casanova ◽  
Amy Webb Girard ◽  
Sakshi Mehta ◽  
Usha Ramakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Biological Indicators ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Causal Pathway ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
Nutrition Sensitive ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives Nutrition sensitive interventions (NSI), which target underlying causes of undernutrition, have been identified as essential to reduce the burden of malnutrition, which disproportionately affects women and children living in low to middle income countries. However, evaluating the impacts of NSI using anthropometry and/or biomarkers remains challenging due to lack of sensitivity. For agriculture NSI in particular, researchers increasingly recommend using indicators that assess dietary changes that lie on the causal pathway to improved biological indicators. We aimed to identify tools and indicators that can be used to assess the impact of agriculture-focused NSI on the diets of women and children. Methods Using Pubmed, Web of Science, and Agricola, we conducted a systematic search of the literature for NSI that assessed the impact on the diet of women and children (under 18 years) and were published after 2010. Twenty-three studies representing unique NSI or programs met inclusion/exclusion criteria. We systematically abstracted data from these studies into a standardized form. Results Included NSI were conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa (n = 18), South Asia (n = 3), Southeast Asia (n = 3), and Latin America (n = 1), with one conducted in three regions. The most common tools were food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour recalls, and household inventories. Dietary diversity (DD) scores were the most common indicators. These varied on the number of items and the duration of the recall period and included household DD (n = 7), women's DD (n = 5) and children's DD (n = 11); twelve studies assessed more than one outcome. Other indicators of children's diet, such as meal frequency, number of foods or food groups consumed, or minimum acceptable diet were assessed in nine NSI. Two and four studies reported nutrient intakes in women and children, respectively. Conclusions Diet assessment tools and indicators have been used successfully to assess the impact of NSI. We recommend including these measurement tools as part of the monitoring and evaluation of NSI, in particular DD was a frequently used indicator that was sensitive to the interventions. It will also be important to improve the reporting of the method used to improve interpretability and comparison across studies. Funding Sources Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

No Longer Overlooked and Undervalued? The Evolving Dynamics of Endogenous Educational Research in Sub-Saharan Africa

2006 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD MACLURE
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Research Networks ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Local Research

Multilateral donors like the World Bank and bilateral agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the British Department for International Development exert a great deal of influence in international educational development — particularly in sub-Saharan Africa — both in the programs they fund and the types of research they engage in. In this article, Richard Maclure investigates educational research in Africa and juxtaposes research done by large, exogenous, Western, results-oriented organizations with research performed by smaller, endogenous, local researchers aided by local research networks. Maclure argues convincingly that research that falls into the exogenous "donor-control" paradigm far too often is irrelevant to the African educational policy context and does little to develop local research capacity. The cases of two African research networks — the Educational Research Network of West and Central Africa and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa—are presented as exemplars of organizations that promote an alternative type of research that is endogenous, relevant to policy and the process of policymaking, and controlled by Africans. Maclure concludes with a call for increased support for and development of these types of networks, and for the development of the long-term solution to educational research in Africa — the university.

scholarly journals Household water insecurity, missed schooling, and the mediating role of caregiver depression in rural Uganda

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Cooper-Vince ◽  
B. Kakuhikire ◽  
D. Vorechovska ◽  
A. Q. McDonough ◽  
J. Perkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Caregiver Depression ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Household Heads

BackgroundSchool attendance rates in sub-Saharan Africa are among the lowest worldwide, placing children at heightened risk for poor educational and economic outcomes. One understudied risk factor for missed schooling is household water insecurity, which is linked to depression among women and may increase children's water-fetching burden at the expense of educational activities, particularly among children of depressed caregivers. In this study conducted in rural Uganda, we assessed the association between household water insecurity and child school participation and the mediating pathways behind these associations.MethodWe conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study of female household heads (N = 257) and their children ages 5–17 (N = 551) in the rural regions surrounding the town of Mbarara, in southwestern Uganda. We used multivariable linear regressions to estimate the association between water insecurity and missed schooling. We then assessed the extent to which the association was mediated by caregiver depression.ResultsAmong children, water insecurity had a statistically significant association with the number of missed school days (a standard deviation increase in water insecurity resulted in 0.30 more missed school days in the last week). The estimated association was partially mediated by caregiver depression. When stratified by sex, this mediating pathway remained significant for boys, but not among girls.ConclusionsWater insecurity is a risk factor for missed schooling among children in rural Uganda. Caregiver depression partially mediated this relationship. Also addressing caregiver mental health in water insecure families may more fully address the needs of sub-Saharan African families and promote educational participation among youth.

Playing Chicken with People: The Occupational Safety and Health Consequences of Throughput über Alles

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Linder
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Safety And Health

The political-economic and legal analysis of regulation in this article argues that the speed of work on disassembly lines in poultry processing plants, the fastest growing factory employment in the United States, is de facto regulated not by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency charged with protecting workers, but, perversely, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In arrogating to itself the power to set line speeds in connection with its inspection of processed carcasses, the Department of Agriculture has one-sidedly promoted chicken oligopolies' interests by accommodating their drive to produce as much product as quickly and cheaply as possible (throughput über alles) and especially without regard to the incidence of repetitive stress disorders associated with high-speed machine-paced manual production. In contrast, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has failed either to assert its statutory authority over this vital determinant of workers' well-being or to persuade any administrative or judicial tribunal that it possesses such authority. Consequently, the article concludes, the health and safety of 200,000 low-paid and largely unorganized, female, and non-white workers continue to be held hostage to the self-valorization needs of capital and the state's cheap food policy.

scholarly journals The study of dietary diversity score in children between 6 months to 23 months: a hospital based study

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya N. ◽  
Rajanish K. V. ◽  
Malavika J. ◽  
Aarti Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Growth ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Dietary Diversity Score ◽  
Nutrient Adequacy ◽  
Nutritional Status Of Children

Background: Dietary diversity is a qualitative measure of food consumption that reflects household access to a variety of foods and is also a proxy for nutrient adequacy of diet of individual. Breast-feeding and complementary feeding practices are fundamental to children’s survival and development. Feeding practices have an impact on physical growth, which is one of the best indicators of children’s well-being. However, the relation between the quality of feeding practices during early age and nutritional status are difficult to establish, and, depending on the context and overall living conditions, the influence of feeding factors on children’s nutritional status can vary considerably. This study helps us to assess the dietary diversity score by simple food count method which is a good indicator of adequate micronutrient intake.Methods: The study was a retrospective study conducted on babies between 6 months to 23 months of age presenting in Paediatric outpatient Department. Data was collected by 24-hour recall method for 3 days and an average.Results: 30% of subjects had weight for age below 2 SD and 8% had length for age below 2 SD. Dietary diversity Score of 1and 6 in 8%, 2 in 48%, 3 and 5 in 6%, 4 in 24% was noted. The average scoring was low among 6-9 and10-12 months and it increased between 13-23 months. With increase in age there was increase in dietary diversity score and vice versa.Conclusions: Limited diversity in complementary foods is a strong predictor of the nutritional status of children. Inclusion of a variety of food groups may be more essential to improve child’s nutritional status.

scholarly journals Impact of a Homestead Food Production Program on Dietary Diversity: Seasonal and Annual Results from the FAARM Trial in Sylhet, Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 694-694
Author(s):  
Jillian Waid ◽  
Amanda Wendt ◽  
Sabine Gabrysch
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Production Program ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives We examine the impact of a nutrition-sensitive agricultural program on the dietary diversity of women and children enrolled in the Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing Malnutrition (FAARM) cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Habiganj, Sylhet, Bangladesh. The homestead food production intervention, implemented by Helen Keller International, began in mid-2015 and ended in December 2018. Methods We use four data sources: 1) baseline data (all women and their youngest child, March-May 2015); 2) surveillance data (every two months - all children 6–18m and a rotating random third of women and children 19–37m,  September 2015-August 2019); 3) endline data (all women and children 6–23m,  September 2019-February 2020); 4) phone survey during the COVID-19 lockdown (a random two-thirds of women, May-June 2020). We calculated dietary diversity for women (MDDW-10) and children (WHO IYCF). Our analysis included 24,931 observations of 2,701 women and 17,445 observations of 2,162 children (6–37m). We estimate the impact of the intervention on dietary diversity using multi-level regression, controlling for clustering by settlement and repeated measures. Results Dietary diversity scores and the proportion of women and children classified as consuming adequate diets varied greatly over the year, peaking in May/June with 5.3 food groups for women (out of ten) and 3.8 food groups for children (out of seven). Over all program years, intervention women had 1.8 higher odds of consuming an adequate diet compared to control women (p &lt; 0.001). However, this benefit varied from 1.3 in the first year of the intervention (p = 0.015) to 2.3 in the last year (p &lt; 0.001), before falling to around 1.9 in the post-intervention years (p &lt; 0.001). We saw a nearly identical pattern in children. Dietary improvement was driven through incremental increases in nearly all food groups. Conclusions The intervention successfully increased dietary diversity in women and children, and these impacts persisted after the project closed, including during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Funding Sources The German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) is the primary funder for the FAARM trial. The U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) supported the design of the surveillance system.

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