Food Security and Dietary Quality in African Slums

More than half of Africa’s urban population lives in slums. Little is known about their nutritional situation, as slums are often underrepresented in standard surveys. This study analyzes issues of food security and dietary quality in East African slums using household-level and individual-level data collected in Nairobi and Kampala. The household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) is used as a subjective measure of food security. Moreover, calorie availability and different dietary diversity scores are calculated based on 7-day food consumption recalls at the household level and 24-hour dietary recalls at the individual level. The large majority of the slum households are food insecure and suffer from low dietary quality. Rates of undernourishment are considerably higher than what country-level statistics report, suggesting that slum dwellers deserve more explicit attention in initiatives to improve nutrition. Household-level indicators are significantly correlated with individual-level indicators for women and children. This means that household-level data, which are easier to collect, can proxy for individual nutrition up to a certain extent when individual-level data are unavailable. Regression models show that household income is one of the main factors explaining dietary patterns. Hence, facilitating access to lucrative employment is an important entry point for improving nutrition in slums.

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How well do different dietary and nutrition assessment tools match? Insights from rural Kenya

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980018002756 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 391-403 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Andrea Fongar ◽

Theda Gödecke ◽

Antony Aseta ◽

Matin Qaim

Keyword(s):

Food Consumption ◽

Food Access ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

Anthropometric Measures ◽

Household Level ◽

Individual Level ◽

Rural Kenya

AbstractObjectiveVarious indicators and assessment tools exist to measure diets and nutrition. Most studies eventually rely on one approach. Relatively little is known about how closely results match when different tools are used in the same context. The present study compares and correlates different indicators for the same households and individuals to better understand which indicators can be used as proxies for others.DesignA survey of households and individuals was carried out in Kenya in 2015. Seven-day food consumption and 24 h dietary recalls were administered at household and individual level, respectively. Individual height and weight measures were taken. Different indicators of food access (energy consumption, household dietary diversity scores), dietary quality (individual dietary diversity scores, micronutrient intakes) and nutrition (anthropometric indicators) were calculated and correlated to evaluate associations.SettingRural farm households in western Kenya.ParticipantsData collected from 809 households and 1556 individuals living in these households (782 female adults, 479 male adults, 295 children aged 6–59 months).ResultsAll measures of food access and dietary quality were positively correlated at individual level. Household-level and individual-level dietary indicators were also positively correlated. Correlations between dietary indicators and anthropometric measures were small and mostly statistically insignificant.ConclusionsDietary indicators from 7d food consumption recalls at the household level can be used as proxies of individual dietary quality of children and male and female adults. Individual dietary diversity scores are good proxies of micronutrient intakes. However, neither household-level nor individual-level dietary indicators are good proxies of individual nutritional status in this setting.

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NGURUP CIMPLUNG: FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY IN BANJARNEGARA HOUSEHOLD

El-HARAKAH (TERAKREDITASI) ◽

10.18860/el.v21i2.7480 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 271

Author(s):

Nurul Friska Dewi

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Survival Strategy ◽

Security Strategy ◽

Household Level ◽

Individual Level ◽

The People ◽

The Individual ◽

Local Traditions

This study aims to look at the lives of farmers from a survival strategy perspective. An ethnographic approach is used with participant observation and interviews. The results of the study show that despite changes due to modernization of agriculture, local traditions and knowledge are still carried out. There are at least two strategies that are carried out in overcoming food security in their households, namely the short-term strategy, done by “ngurup cimplung”, taking plants around that can be used for daily needs. Whereas the long-term strategy is done by carrying out various rituals, namely “gethekan”, “Ujungan Ritual”, as well as istisqa prayers, all of which are to wish the Divine pleasure to keep nature-friendly with them. The strategy of performing this ritual also has a large function in food security both at the community and household level and even at the individual level. Each special event usually serves local food. For them, the efforts made are as an exchange effort, as “ngurup cimplung” is an economic exchange effort. Performing rituals by presenting a variety of foods are believed to get an equivalent fortune even more abundant than that given. Although rice is a staple food in every activity, the people of Gumelem, Banjarnegara can still use it wisely as a food security effort. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat kehidupan petani dari perspektif survival strategy. Pendekatan etnografi digunakan dengan teknik observasi partisipan dan wawancara. Hasil studi menunjukkan meskipun terjadi perubahan akibat modernisasi pertanian, tetapi tradisi dan pengetahuan lokal tetap dilakukan. Ada dua strategi yang dilakukan petani yaitu strategi jangka pendek yaitu dengan “ngurup cimplung”, mengambil tanaman di sekitar yang bisa dimanfaatkan untuk kebutuhan sehari-hari. Sedangkan strategi jangka panjang dilakukan dengan melakukan berbagai ritual, yaitu “gethekan”, ritual adat ujungan, maupun sholat istisqa yang kesemuanya adalah mengaharap ridha Ilahi agar alam tetap bersahabat dengan mereka. Dengan melakukan ritual ini juga memiliki fungsi besar dalam ketahanan pangan baik di level komunitas maupun rumah tangga bahkan individu. Setiap kegiatan khusus biasanya menyuguhkan pangan lokal. Bagi mereka, upaya yang dilakukan adalah sebagai upaya pertukaran, sebagaimana “ngurup cimplung” merupakan upaya pertukaran ekonomi. Sedangkan melakukan ritual dengan menyuguhkan berbagai makanan dipercaya akan mendapatkan rejeki yang setara bahkan lebih berlimpah dari yang diberikan. Meskipun beras menjadi makanan pokok di setiap aktivitas, tetapi masyarakat Gumelem, Banjarnegara tetap bisa menggunakan dengan bijak sebagai upaya ketahanan pangan.

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Complementary feeding practices and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in Pakistan

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0247602 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0247602

Author(s):

Muhammad Ali ◽

Muhammad Arif ◽

Ashfaq Ahmad Shah

Keyword(s):

Complementary Feeding ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Premature Mortality ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽

Child Feeding ◽

Household Level ◽

Individual Level ◽

Young Child Feeding ◽

The Individual

Premature mortality and undernutrition rates in Pakistan are among the highest in the world. Inadequate infant and young child feeding are the major causes of premature mortality and undernutrition. Yet, very little is known about the determinants of complementary feeding practices in Pakistan. Therefore, this study aims to identify the determinants of inadequate complementary feeding practices among children aged 6 to 23 months in Pakistan by using the latest nationally representative data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2017–18). The results show that only 12% of children consume a minimum acceptable diet, 21% achieve minimum dietary diversity, and 38% reach minimum meal frequency. Multivariate regression analysis shows that child age, child weight at birth, mother’s access to newspapers/magazines at the individual level, wealth at the household level, and prenatal visits at the community level are significant predictors of complementary feeding practices among children aged 6–23 months in Pakistan. These findings show that, in addition to poverty alleviation, raising awareness through health practitioners, increasing access to media, and expanding access to child and maternal healthcare can improve complementary feeding practices in Pakistan. This consequently reduces premature mortality and undernutrition.

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Social Media as a Sphere for “Risky” Political Expression: A Twenty-Country Multilevel Comparative Analysis

The International Journal of Press/Politics ◽

10.1177/1940161218773838 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 161-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Matthew Barnidge ◽

Brigitte Huber ◽

Homero Gil de Zúñiga ◽

James H. Liu

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

The United States ◽

Political Expression ◽

Network Heterogeneity ◽

Individual Level ◽

Country Level ◽

Level Data ◽

The Individual

In the context of the United States, research shows a positive relationship between network heterogeneity and political expression on social media at the individual level. This study builds on that research, relying on multilevel analysis that (1) leverages a twenty-country comparative survey and (2) includes country-level data on freedom of expression. Results show a positive relationship between network heterogeneity and political expression on social media across countries, but that relationship is stronger where freedom of expression is more limited.

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Understanding Food Waste, Food Insecurity, and the Gap between the Two: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10030681 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 681

Author(s):

Nora A. Althumiri ◽

Mada H. Basyouni ◽

Ali F. Duhaim ◽

Norah AlMousa ◽

Mohammed F. AlJuwaysim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Food Waste ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Household Level ◽

Individual Level ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Household Factors ◽

Cooked Food ◽

The Individual

Background: Food waste and food insecurity may co-exist in various balances in developing and developed countries. This study aimed to explore the levels of food waste and food insecurity, the factors associated with them, and their relationships at the household and individual levels in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted via computer-assisted phone interviews in January 2021. Quota sampling was utilized to generate balanced distributions of participants by gender across all the administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. Data collection included household demographics, food waste and disposal, the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Results: Out of the 2807 potential participants contacted, 2454 (87.4%) completed the interview. The mean age was 31.4 (SD = 11.7; range = 18–99) and 50.1% were female. The weighted prevalence of uncooked food waste in the last four weeks was 63.6% and the cooked food waste was 74.4%. However, the food insecurity weighted prevalence at the individual level (FIES) was 6.8%. In terms of food insecurity at the household level (HFIAS), 13.3% were in the “severely food insecure” category. Moreover, this study found that “moderately food insecure” households were associated with an increased likelihood to waste uncooked food (relative risk (RR) = 1.25), and the “mildly food insecure” (RR = 1.21) and “moderately food insecure” (RR = 1.17) households were associated with an increased likelihood to waste cooked food. However, “food secure” households were associated with a decreased likelihood to waste cooked food (RR = 0.56). Finally, this study identified four household factors associated with food waste and three household factors that were associated with “severe food insecurity.” Conclusions: This first national coverage study to explore food waste and food insecurity at the individual level and household level, identified household factors associated with food waste and food insecurity and identified new associations between food waste and food insecurity in Saudi Arabia. The associations found between food waste and food insecurity are potential areas of intervention to reduce both food waste and food insecurity at the same time, toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets related to food waste and food security.

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Missing Data in Research on Youth and Family Programs

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/00332941211026851 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003329412110268

Author(s):

Jaime Ballard ◽

Adeya Richmond ◽

Suzanne van den Hoogenhof ◽

Lynne Borden ◽

Daniel Francis Perkins

Keyword(s):

Missing Data ◽

Statistical Methods ◽

Self Report ◽

Program Participation ◽

Multilevel Data ◽

Individual Level ◽

Level Data ◽

Before And After ◽

Post Test ◽

The Individual

Background Multilevel data can be missing at the individual level or at a nested level, such as family, classroom, or program site. Increased knowledge of higher-level missing data is necessary to develop evaluation design and statistical methods to address it. Methods Participants included 9,514 individuals participating in 47 youth and family programs nationwide who completed multiple self-report measures before and after program participation. Data were marked as missing or not missing at the item, scale, and wave levels for both individuals and program sites. Results Site-level missing data represented a substantial portion of missing data, ranging from 0–46% of missing data at pre-test and 35–71% of missing data at post-test. Youth were the most likely to be missing data, although site-level data did not differ by the age of participants served. In this dataset youth had the most surveys to complete, so their missing data could be due to survey fatigue. Conclusions Much of the missing data for individuals can be explained by the site not administering those questions or scales. These results suggest a need for statistical methods that account for site-level missing data, and for research design methods to reduce the prevalence of site-level missing data or reduce its impact. Researchers can generate buy-in with sites during the community collaboration stage, assessing problematic items for revision or removal and need for ongoing site support, particularly at post-test. We recommend that researchers conducting multilevel data report the amount and mechanism of missing data at each level.

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Inequality in active ageing: evidence from a new individual-level index for European countries

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x17001052 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 541-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

MIKKEL BARSLUND ◽

MARTEN VON WERDER ◽

ASGHAR ZAIDI

Keyword(s):

Age Groups ◽

Positive Association ◽

European Countries ◽

Active Ageing ◽

Unequal Distribution ◽

Individual Level ◽

Country Level ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Share Data ◽

The Individual

ABSTRACTIn the context of emerging challenges and opportunities associated with population ageing, the study of inequality in active-ageing outcomes is critical to the design of appropriate and effective social policies. While there is much discussion about active ageing at the aggregate country level, little is known about inequality in active-ageing experiences within countries. Based on the existing literature on active ageing, this paper proposes an individual-level composite active ageing index based on Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) data. The individual-level nature of the index allows us to analyse inequality in experiences of active ageing within selected European countries. One important motivation behind measuring active ageing at the individual level is that it allows for a better understanding of unequal experiences of ageing, which may otherwise be masked in aggregate-level measures of active ageing. Results show large differences in the distribution of individual-level active ageing across the 13 European countries covered and across age groups. Furthermore, there is a positive association between the country-level active ageing index and the equality of its distribution within a country. Hence, countries with the lowest average active ageing index tend to have the most unequal distribution in active-ageing experiences. For nine European countries, where temporal data are also available, we find that inequality in active-ageing outcomes decreased in the period 2004 to 2013.

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Urban–Rural Disparities in the Magnitude and Determinants of Stunting among Children under Five in Tanzania: Based on Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys 1991–2016

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18105184 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 5184

Author(s):

Wenjun Zhu ◽

Si Zhu ◽

Bruno F. Sunguya ◽

Jiayan Huang

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Health Surveys ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Household Level ◽

Individual Level ◽

Child Stunting ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Urban Rural ◽

The Individual

Our study aims to examine the disparity of under-5 child stunting prevalence between urban and rural areas of Tanzania in the past three decades, and to explore factors affecting the rural–urban disparity. Secondary analyses of Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) data drawn from 1991–1992, 1996, 1999, 2004–2005, 2009–2010, and 2015–2016 surveys were conducted. Under-5 child stunting prevalence was calculated separately for rural and urban children and its decline trends were examined by chi-square tests. Descriptive analyses were used to present the individual-level, household-level, and societal-level characteristics of children, while multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine determinants of stunting in rural and urban areas, respectively. Additive interaction effects were estimated between residence and other covariates. The results showed that total stunting prevalence was declining in Tanzania, but urban–rural disparity has widened since the decline was slower in the rural area. No interaction effect existed between residence and other determinants, and the urban–rural disparity was mainly caused by the discrepancy of the individual-level and household-level factors between rural and urban households. As various types of determinants exist, multisector nutritional intervention strategies are required to address the child stunting problem. Meanwhile, the intervention should focus on targeting vulnerable children, rather than implementing different policies in rural and urban areas.

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Cohort Profile: The China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) Study

10.1101/2020.02.14.20022970 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xing Zhao ◽

Feng Hong ◽

Jianzhong Yin ◽

Wenge Tang ◽

Gang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Data Access ◽

Population Based ◽

Baseline Survey ◽

Individual Level ◽

Long Term Storage ◽

Level Data ◽

The Individual ◽

Study Participants

AbstractCohort purposeThe China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) is a community population-based prospective observational study aiming to address the urgent need for understanding NCD prevalence, risk factors and associated conditions in resource-constrained settings for ethnic minorities in China.Cohort BasicsA total of 99 556 participants aged 30 to 79 years (Tibetan populations include those aged 18 to 30 years) from the Tibetan, Yi, Miao, Bai, Bouyei, and Dong ethnic groups in Southwest China were recruited between May 2018 and September 2019.Follow-up and attritionAll surviving study participants will be invited for re-interviews every 3-5 years with concise questionnaires to review risk exposures and disease incidence. Furthermore, the vital status of study participants will be followed up through linkage with established electronic disease registries annually.Design and MeasuresThe CMEC baseline survey collected data with an electronic questionnaire and face-to-face interviews, medical examinations and clinical laboratory tests. Furthermore, we collected biological specimens, including blood, saliva and stool, for long-term storage. In addition to the individual level data, we also collected regional level data for each investigation site.Collaboration and data accessCollaborations are welcome. Please send specific ideas to corresponding author at: [email protected].

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The closer to the Europe Union headquarters, the higher risk of COVID-19? Cautions regarding ecological studies of COVID-19

10.1101/2020.04.23.20077008 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shuai Li ◽

Xinyang Hua

Keyword(s):

European Country ◽

Ecological Study ◽

Ecological Fallacy ◽

Group Level ◽

Ecological Studies ◽

Public Concern ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Public ◽

Country Level ◽

Level Data

AbstractSeveral ecological studies of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have reported correlations between group-level aggregated exposures and COVID-19 outcomes. While some studies might be helpful in generating new hypotheses related to COVID-19, results of such type of studies should be interpreted with cautions. To illustrate how ecological studies and results could be biased, we conducted an ecological study of COVID-19 outcomes and the distance to Brussels using European country-level data. We found that, the distance was negatively correlated with COVID-19 outcomes; every 100 km away from Brussels was associated with approximately 6% to 17% reductions (all P<0.01) in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Europe. Without cautions, such results could be interpreted as the closer to the Europe Union headquarters, the higher risk of COVID-19 in Europe. However, these results are more likely to reflect the differences in the timing of and the responding to the outbreak, etc. between European countries, rather than the ‘effect’ of the distance to Brussels itself. Associations observed at the group level have limitations to reflect individual-level associations – the so-called ecological fallacy. Given the public concern over COVID-19, ecological studies should be conducted and interpreted with great cautions, in case the results would be mistakenly understood.

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