Underweight and associated factors among children under five years in North Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia: An observational community-based study

Background Acute and chronic child undernutrition is a continuous problem in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was initiated to compare the prevalence of underweight and its associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in the Kuyu district, North Shewa zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. Methods An observational community-based study was conducted on 612 children (304 from household security and 308 from household food insecurity). A structured and standardize questionnaire was used in this study. Anthropometric measurements were generated using WHO standardize. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent variables associated with underweight (weight-for-age) among children in household food security and insecurity, a p value less than 0.05 with 95%CI was considered as statistically significant. Results The results indicated that 30.9% [95%CI; 25.7, 36.2] and 36.7% [95% CI; 31.8, 42.5] of children were underweight for their age in household food security and insecurity. Low wealth status (AOR=3.2; 95%CI: 1.099, 9.275), poor dietary diets (AOR=5.2; 95%CI: 2.046, 13.27), and lack of breastfeeding for two years (AOR= 2.1; 95%CI= 1.78, 5, 42) were associated with underweight children in household food security. Whereas lack of antenatal care visits (AOR=0.52; 95%CI: 0.12, 0.68) and poor dietary diets (AOR=3.01; 95%CI= 2.1, 17.4) were other independent variables associated with underweight children in household food insecurity. Conclusions This study established that there was a high prevalence of underweight in children from Oromia. Therefore, introducing household income generating activities are vital interventions in order to overcome the problem of undernutrition in this region.

Perceived social support is greater among food secure Iranian households during the COVID-19 outbreak

Purpose Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many different aspects of people’s lives around the world, including household food security. This study aims to investigate the food security status and its determinants, with emphasis on perceived social support among the Iranian population during the epidemic.. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,871 Iranian adults by social media in all provinces of the country. Demographic and socioeconomic information, household food security status and perceived social support status were assessed by the validated questionnaires. Data was analyzed by statistical package for the social sciences version 22.0, with one-way ANOVA, Chi-square and multinomial logistic regression tests. Findings The prevalence of food security among the studied population was 55.2%. The results indicated that perceived social support plays a protective role on food security [odds ratio (OR) = 1.07, confidence interval (CI) = 1.06, 1.09, P-value < 0.001]. Reduced income during the epidemic [OR = 0.29, CI = 0.17, 0.47, P-value < 0.001] and presence of an old person (>65 years old) in the household [OR = 1.72, CI = 1.14, 2.60, P-value < 0.05], were significantly higher among moderate to severe food insecure group than food-secure group. More monthly income [OR = 0.28, CI = 0.13, 0.57, P-value < 0.001] and homeownership [OR = 1.83, CI = 1.22, 2.75, P-value < 0.05] were also predictors of food security status. Originality/value The development of supportive strategies which act immediately can protect vulnerable people against the consequences of the epidemic, including food insecurity. Long-term planning should also be considered to improve society’s resistance against such disasters.

Food Insecurity Measurement: Stakeholder Comparisons of the EU-SILC and HFSSM Indicators and Considerations Towards the Usefulness of a Headline Indicator

Prior to the February 2019 announcement that the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) will be used to estimate household food insecurity, there has not been a standardised measurement approach used in the United Kingdom (UK). Measurement has instead been somewhat inconsistent, and various indicators have been included in national and regional surveys. There remains a gap relating to the comparative usefulness of current and past food insecurity measures used in Northern Ireland (NI) (HFSSM; European Union-Survey of Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) food deprivation questions), and the potential usefulness of a headline indicator similar to that used to measure fuel poverty. This study presents findings from Northern Ireland (NI) stakeholder interviews (n = 19), which examined their perspectives on food insecurity measures which have previously been or are currently, or could potentially, be used in the UK/NI (HFSSM; EU-SILC food deprivation questions; headline indicator). Interview transcripts were coded using QSR NVivo (v.12) and inductively analysed to identify relevant themes. Stakeholders preferred the HFSSM to the EU-SILC, reasoning that it is more relevant to the food insecurity experience. A headline indicator for food insecurity was considered useful by some; however, there was consensus that it would not fully encapsulate the food insecurity experience, particularly the social exclusion element, and that it would be a complex measure to construct, with a high degree of error. This research endorses the use of the HFSSM to measure food insecurity in the UK, and provides recommendations for consideration of any future modification of the HFSSM or EU-SILC measurement instruments.

The Effects of Commercial Orientation on (Agro) Pastoralists’ Household Food Security: Evidence from (Agro) Pastoral Communities of Afar, Northeastern Ethiopia

Commercialization has been increasingly promoted for (agro) pastoral communities as an intervention to improve incomes and food access. Using households from rural Afar, this study examines the food security effects of the livestock commercial orientations of (agro) pastoralists by employing propensity score matching (PSM) procedures. The results show that, despite the fact that the market production of (agro) pastoralists is stressed by a broad range of factors, identified as cultural, infrastructural, and production risks, participation in livestock sales significantly decreased the severity of food insecurity in both the household food insecurity access score (HFIAS), and the reduced coping strategy index (rCSI) measures. However, the results failed to find consistently significant effects via the per capita consumption expenditure measure, in which case, the ‘subsistence’ and ‘commercially’ oriented groups are alike. Yet, given the factors depressing market production, properly addressed with policy measures, the income generated from livestock sales improved the welfare of (agro) pastoralists, at least by some (the HFIAS and rCSI) of the livelihood indicators. This highlights the importance of combining market infrastructure investments with culturally sensitive policy measures in order to sustain the traditional livestock husbandry of (agro) pastoralists. Therefore, in order to sustainably improve the food security situations in (agro) pastoral areas, the promotion of market production through the broadening of market access for both sales and purchases is important.

Household food insecurity is associated with child’s dietary diversity score among primary school children in two districts in Ghana

Background: Dietary diversity is generally considered as a good indicator of nutrient adequacy and is influenced by various factors at the national, household, and individual levels. Objective: The present study sought to determine the relationships between household food insecurity, primary caregivers’ nutrition knowledge, and dietary diversity of school-aged children in Ghana. Methods: This forms part of a longitudinal study conducted in the Ayawaso West Municipal district in Accra (urban setting) and the Upper Manya Krobo district (rural setting) in Ghana. Data were collected from a total of 116 caregiver-child dyads using 24-h dietary recall and a short version of the US 12-month Household Food Security Survey Module. Nutrition knowledge and sociodemographic data were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to check for factors associated with children’s dietary diversity. Results: Majority of households reported food insecurity, with a higher percentage of insecure households located in the rural area (88.9% vs. 46.5%, P ≤ 0.0001), compared to the urban setting. Diet diversity among the study children was low, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 5.8 (2.1) out of 14 food groups. Children living in food insecure households were three times more likely to have received low diverse diet compared to those from food secure households (adjusted odds ratio [OR] =3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–8.0). Caregivers’ nutrition knowledge was, however, not related to children’s dietary diversity. Discussion and conclusion: Household food insecurity was a main predictor of dietary diversity among school-age children in this study. Thus, caregiver knowledge in nutrition may not be enough, particularly in the presence of food insecurity to guarantee adequate nutrition for school-aged children.

Water Scarcity and Household Food Security

The study employed the post-positivist epistemology to examine the impact of water scarcity to food security in three rural areas of Ulundi Local Municipality. A stratified random sampling technique was utilised to sample 400 respondents. Data was collected through self-designed questionnaires. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the variables. The findings showed a strong positive correlation between economic and social development, water access, and scarcity. There was also a positive relationship between water access and household food security. Water access also had a strong positive relationship with public health and development. The study concludes that water access influences food security, public health, human growth, and development. It is recommended that the municipality should improve water access in order to improve food security, public health, and development in the rural communities.

The Indigenous Roles of Women in Household Food Security in Limpopo Province

The chapter describes women's roles in home-gardening to ensure household food security in a rural community in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Focus group discussions confirmed the women continue to produce indigenous crops as part of their cultural obligations to provide for household food security. This implies that the women are capable of maintaining the health and welfare of their households by ensuring food availability, accessibility, and utilization, which are important elements of food security. The study has implications for ending hunger and malnutrition as food is produced and preserved for future consumption. The food and preservation practices adopted by the women in the study could be incorporated into climate change mitigation and adaptation policies to address the challenge of poverty and malnutrition as per the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2.