Search Results (3)

Malnutrition is a global problem that affects all countries in one or more of its forms, representing one of the greatest challenges worldwide. One of the key contributing factors is food insecurity, which must be evaluated in children with moderate and severe acute malnutrition, as they are at imminent risk of death. Objective: Our objective was to assess food insecurity among children under 5 years old with moderate, and severe malnutrition from Valle del Cauca, a state located in the southwestern region of Colombia. Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted, including children whose weight-for-height (W/H) indicator was below 2 SD, as recorded on the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts, or who exhibited severe malnutrition phenotypes such as marasmus or Kwashiorkor. Family and child food security were evaluated using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). Results: 58.6% of households with acutely malnourished children experienced food insecurity. A statistically significant relationship was found between food insecurity and children of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. According to caregivers’ perceptions, 30.2% of child malnutrition cases were related to poor feeding and caregiving practices. Conclusions: Not all children with acute malnutrition suffer from food insecurity. Therefore, the findings of this research suggest that governmental efforts should focus not only on ensuring food availability, but also on educating caregivers about the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet tailored to the specific characteristics of each region and promoting appropriate caregiving practices. Full article

Food security is a multi-dimensional concept that requires multiple indicators to measure it correctly; however, single food security indicators are often used individually or interchangeably. The misinterpretation of individual food security indicators can have important implications for policy design and implementation. The general objective of this paper is to show the discrepancies that may arise when using two different food security indicators that operate in the same dimension of the food security concept and yield the same outcome (food security status of the household) in three of the scenarios that they might be used: (1) for measuring the prevalence of food insecurity, (2) for understanding its drivers, and (3) for estimating the potential impact of a policy. The specific objectives of this paper are (1) to measure and compare the prevalence of food insecurity in a country using the Latin America Food Security Scale (ELCSA, by its acronym in Spanish) and the household undernourishment indicator, (2) to compare the factors associated with households’ food security status using the two indicators, and (3) to assess the potential use of the two indicators for ex ante policy analysis. Data for the study comes from the 2011 Survey of Living Standards from Guatemala, which collected all the data for estimating the ELCSA and the household level data required for calculating the household undernourishment indicator. Our results indicate considerable differences in the estimated prevalence of food insecurity at the national and regional levels using the two alternative indicators, with ELCSA resulting in higher estimates. Logistic regression models estimated to assess and identify household food insecurity drivers also found large differences in both the direction and magnitude of factors affecting food insecurity using the alternative food security indicators. Finally, the magnitude of the simulated impact of a cash transfer policy varied depending on the food indicator used. Full article

Eliminating food insecurity is one of humanity’s greatest global challenges. Thus, the purpose of this research was to analyze the factors that determine food insecurity in households in the rural area of the Paute River Basin, Azuay Province, Ecuador. Stratified sampling was used as the sampling method, with proportional affixation. Moreover, we employed the Latin American and Caribbean Household Food Security Measurement Scale (ELCSA). We estimated the main determinants of household food insecurity using two binomial logit models and one ordered logit model. For the analysis of the data, the respective statistical and econometric tests were employed. The results show that housing size and access to food security information are the most important determinants of food insecurity in the three predictive models applied in this research. This research contributes to the existing literature on food insecurity and provides important information for policymakers, especially regarding food insecurity in rural areas, which has profound economic and social implications. Full article