Household food insecurity is associated with both body mass index and middle upper-arm circumference of mothers in northwest Ethiopia: a comparative study

Background: Perinatally acquired HIV-infected (PHIV+) adolescents have shown impairments in neurocognitive function and mental health problems compared with their peers. The contribution of food insecurity to such impairments has not been explored.Objectives: The aim of this report has been to explore the contribution of food insecurity to neurocognitive impairment and mental health problems in adolescents with perinatally-acquired HIV infection.Method: A total of 248 PHIV+ adolescents and healthy controls aged between 9 and 12 years completed a neuropsychological battery, the Childhood Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Becks Youth Inventory. Head circumference, body mass index (BMI), height for age (HAZ), Tanner pubertal staging, albumin, haemoglobin, CD4 and viral loads were also measured. Participants’ caregivers were interviewed about their mental health and household food security. T-tests were used to assess for differences in food secure and food insecure households.Results: Caregivers of PHIV+ adolescents reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and household food insecurity. Increased food insecurity was associated with more behavioural problems in adolescents, as well as lower haemoglobin and albumin levels, faster processing speed and increased Tanner staging in boys. Body mass index and HAZ were not affected by food insecurity.Conclusion: These findings suggest that household food insecurity is associated with some altered behavioural, physical and physiological outcomes, which could complicate and compound the existing difficulties in PHIV+ households.

Download Full-text

Cross-Sectional Association of Food Source with Food Insecurity, Dietary Diversity and Body Mass Index in Western Kenya

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu14010121 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 121

Author(s):

Elizabeth Olatunji ◽

Charles Obonyo ◽

Pamela Wadende ◽

Vincent Were ◽

Rosemary Musuva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Body Mass ◽

Food Source ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Food Environments ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Household Food ◽

The Relationship

The triple burden of malnutrition in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is partly a result of changing food environments and a shift from traditional diets to high-calorie Western-style diets. Exploring the relationship between food sources and food- and nutrition-related outcomes is important to understanding how changes in food environments may affect nutrition in LMICs. This study examined associations of household food source with household food insecurity, individual dietary diversity and individual body mass index in Western Kenya. Interview-administered questionnaire and anthropometric data from 493 adults living in 376 randomly-selected households were collected in 2019. Adjusted regression analyses were used to assess the association of food source with measures of food insecurity, dietary diversity and body mass index. Notably, participants that reported rearing domesticated animals for consumption (‘own livestock’) had lower odds of moderate or severe household food insecurity (odds ratio (OR) = 0.29 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.96)) and those that reported buying food from supermarkets had lower odds of moderate or severe household food insecurity (borderline significant, OR = 0.37 (95% CI: 0.14, 1.00)), increased dietary diversity scores (Poisson coefficient = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.24)) and higher odds of achieving minimum dietary diversity (OR = 2.84 (95% CI: 1.79, 4.49)). Our findings provide insight into the relationship between food environments, dietary patterns and nutrition in Kenya, and suggest that interventions that influence household food source may impact the malnutrition burden in this context.

Download Full-text