Moderate and Severe Level of Food Insecurity Is Associated with High Calorie-Dense Food Consumption of Filipino Households

Food insecurity is often deeply rooted in poverty. Hence, accessibility and the quality of foods consumed may affect the dietary pattern. The study aims to assess the relationship between food insecurity and dietary consumption. This investigation analyzed the data from the 2015 Updating of Nutritional Nutrition Survey. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to determine household food security status and the prevalence of food insecurity. Food weighing, food inventory, and food recall were the methods used to collect food consumption data of sampled households. The study revealed poor nutrient quality and a greater likelihood of inadequacy of nutrients among moderate and severe food insecure households. Mild, moderate, and severe levels of food insecurity were found to affect 12%, 32%, and 22% of the population, respectively. The test showed that both moderate and severe food insecure families have significantly lower mean consumption of meat, milk, and fats and oils in contrast to food secure households. In comparison with food secure households, moderate and severe food insecure households consume higher amounts of cereals and cereal products, rice, and vegetables. Moderate and severe food insecure households have higher consumption of total carbohydrates but have significantly lower average intake of vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, and total fat related to food stable households. Moreover, the results of the multiple logistic regression revealed that food insecure households have a higher likelihood to be deficient in energy, protein, calcium, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C intakes, but except for iron ( p value <0.05). Indeed, household food insecurity was associated with the higher consumption of calorie-dense food among Filipino households. This explains a lower nutrient quality and a higher likelihood of inadequacy of nutrients among moderate and severe food insecure households.

Household Food Insecurity during Pregnancy as a Predictor of Anthropometric Indices Failures in Infants Aged Less than Six Months: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study

Objective: To investigate the impact of household food insecurity during the third trimester of pregnancy on the growth indicators of infants aged less than six months. Design: Retrospective longitudinal study. Setting: 137 healthcare centres (15 cities) in Khorasan Razavi province, Iran. Data were extracted from the Sina Electronic Health Record System (SinaEHR®). Participants: This study was conducted on 2,481 mother and infant dyads during November 2016-March 2019. The household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS; nine-item version) was used to measure food insecurity in the third trimester of pregnancy. Women who delivered singleton infants were included in the study, and anthropometric indices of infants were measured throughout the first sixth months of life. Results: Approximately 67% of the participants were food-secure, while 33% had varying degrees of food insecurity. The children born to the mothers in the food-insecure households were respectively 2.01, 3.03, and 3.83 times more likely to be stunted at birth (95% CI: 1.17-3.46), four months (95% CI: 1.21-7.61), and six months of age (95% CI: 1.37-10.68) compared to their counterparts in the food-secure households. However, there were no significant differences in mean birthweight, birth height, and head circumference at birth between the two groups. Conclusions: Household food insecurity during pregnancy is a risk factor for stunting in infants aged less than six months. Therefore, national nutrition programs could considerably support women in food-insecure households during and before pregnancy.

Daymamics of Multidimensional Food Security Measurement in Rural Ethiopia

Most studies measuring food security have used one or two of the dimensions of food security, with snapshot data at a particular point in time. Policies derived from such measurement might be misleading because of the dynamic nature of food security or insecurity in vulnerable populations. This paper presents a composite food security measure that captures the four dimensions of food security i.e., availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability over time. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to reduce the four dimensions into a single index. Data from three rounds of household-level panel data, collected by the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) of Ethiopia in collaboration with the World Bank are used to demonstrate this measurement. The aggregate food security indices result revealed that 44, 57, and 45 percent of households were food secured in 2011, 2013, and 2015 respectively. On the other hand, only 20 percent of households were food secured all the time while 67 percent of households termed as transitory food insecure since they remained food insecure at least in one of the survey periods. The rest 13 percent of households were also termed chronically food insecure since they fall short of food all the time of the study. The finding confirmed a high prevalence of multidimensionally food-insecure households in rural Ethiopia. Therefore, various food security intervention programs that enhance the four dimensions should be introduced.

Coping Strategies of Food Insecure Households in Conflict Areas: The Case of South Sudan

The surge in acute food insecurity due to conflict calls for sound evidence-based policymaking. Unfortunately, the knowledge on behaviours of households when they face a food shortage in these situations is under-reported in the literature. Our paper contributes to the covering of this gap by presenting the food consumption and livelihood-based coping mechanisms used by households in Western Bahr el Ghazal in South Sudan, distinguishing between rural areas and the Wau Protection of Civilian camp. We used a descriptive research design and unique primary data collected by the submission of a survey to a sample of 838 households from July–August 2020. In the alarming hunger situation in the investigated areas, households deeply use coping mechanisms independently of their food security status. The majority of them are at the breakdown of their coping ability. The behaviours used by households indicate a wider social catastrophe that the long-term consequences of these mechanisms can further accentuate. Food assistance resulted in a relatively better situation in the Wau Protection of Civilian camp. The paper confirms the centrality of a humanitarian-development-peace approach to food security in the investigated area, where the support of livelihood strategies and opportunities for households and the promotion of sound institutions have paramount roles.

The Evolution of Young People's Mental Health during COVID-19: Evidence from four Low-and-Middle-Income-Countries

Background Though COVID-19 presents less risk to young people of serious morbidity or mortality, the resulting economic crisis has impacted their livelihoods. There is relatively little evidence on young people's mental health in Low-and-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) as the pandemic has progressed. Methods Two consecutive phone-surveys (August/October and November/December 2020) in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam interviewed around 9,000 participants of a 20-year cohort study who grew up in poverty (now aged 19 and 26). We investigate how young people's mental health has evolved in the four countries during the pandemic. Rates of (at least mild) anxiety (depression) measured by GAD-7 (PHQ-8) were compared across countries; between males/females, and food secure/food insecure households. Results Overall, rates of at least mild anxiety (depression) significantly decreased in all countries but Ethiopia as infection rates fell. However, young people in food insecure households report high rates of anxiety and depression and have not shown consistent improvements. Food insecure households are poorer, and have significantly more children (p<0.05) except in Ethiopia. Conclusions Food insecurity has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and is negatively associated with young people's mental health. Urgent support is needed for the most vulnerable. Keywords COVID-19, mental health, anxiety, depression, food insecurity, youth

Nutritional Impact of Economic Downturn: How the Great Recession Shaped Dietary Behaviors in US Adults

Objectives Food insecure individuals are at greater risk for nutrient insufficiency and subsequent increases in chronic disease risk. The Great Recession of 2007–2010 resulted in unprecedented increases in the proportion of US households that were food insecure. To date, little has been done to explore the impact of economic recession on dietary intake the population level. The goals of the present study were to assess changes in dietary behaviors and nutrient intake in a nationally representative sample of US residents in the years surrounding the Great Recession. Methods The present study includes data from 38,070 adults across five cycles of the NHANES (2005–2014) to explore the impact of economic downturn and recovery on dietary intake. Dietary data was collected using 24 hour-recall. Household food security status was provided in the NHANES dataset. For the purposes of the present analysis, the 2005–2006 cycle were considered “Pre-recession”, data from the 2007–2010 cycles were considered “Recession period”, and data from the 2011–2014 cycle were considered “Recession recovery period”. Multivariable regression models were used to evaluate differences in mean usual intake of foods and nutrients in the years surrounding the Great Recession. Models were stratified by household food security status, and adjusted for energy, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, poverty: income ratio, and BMI. Results Unsurprisingly, the impact of economic downturn was found to disproportionately impact individuals living in food insecure households. During the Recession period, individuals living in food insecure households had lower intakes of protein, and dark green vegetables (P &lt; 0.03), and significantly higher intakes of total sugars (P = 0.002). Conclusions The findings demonstrate that the diets of individuals in food insecure households are disproportionately impacted by economic downturn. These findings have implications for the current COVID-19 pandemic. Using historical data to understand and anticipate potential nutrient needs and areas of concern may better help public health nutritionists serve communities faced with food insecurity. Funding Sources N/A.

Analysis of Household Food Security Based on the Proportion of Food Expenditures and Energy Consumption in Flood-prone Areas in Wajo District

BACKGROUND: Floods that inundate almost all areas in Wajo district caused difficulties for people in this district to access their daily needs, especially for foods as the distribution was inhibited. This situation was exacerbated as the food price increased leading to a greater risk of food insecurity of the household in this area. AIM: The current study aimed to determine food security in flood-prone areas in Wajo District. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional conducted in the three subdistricts in Wajo Regency. The study was conducted from March to May the year 2018. A total of 304 study participants were involved in this study. The data have been collected using the developed questionnaire and observation sheet. All data analyses were performed using SPSS. RESULTS: The result of the study shows that 139 households (46%) included in this study were in the condition of lack of food and 165 households (54%) were food insecure. Households with food-resistant and food vulnerable status were not found in the study area. CONCLUSION: Therefore, households with food insecurity should manage their income by considering providing nutritious foods based on their income situation.

Home food procurement impacts food security and diet quality during COVID-19

Background Home food procurement (HFP) (i.e. gardening, fishing, foraging, hunting, backyard livestock and canning) have historically been important ways that people obtain food. Recently, some HFP activities have grown (e.g. gardening), while other activities (e.g. hunting) have become less common in the United States. Anecdotally, COVID-19 has sparked an increase in HFP evidenced by increased hunting licenses and shortages in seeds and canning supplies. HFP may have positive benefits for food security and diet quality, though research beyond gardening is especially limited in high-income countries. Methods We examine HFP activities since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and their relationship to food security and dietary quality using multivariable logit models and matching analysis with a statewide representative survey (n = 600) of residents of Vermont, United States. Results We find 29% of respondent households classified as food insecure since COVID-19, and higher prevalence of food insecurity among those experiencing a negative job change since COVID-19, households earning less than $50,000 annually, Hispanic and multi-race respondents. Nearly 35% of respondents engaged in HFP activities since the COVID-19 pandemic began; the majority of those gardened, and more than half pursued HFP activities more intensely than before the pandemic or for the first time. Food insecure households were more likely to pursue HFP more intensely, including more gardening, fishing, foraging, and hunting. Respondents who were food insecure, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, those with a negative job disruption, and larger households all had greater odds of increased intensity of HFP during the COVID-19 pandemic. HFP was significantly associated with eating greater amounts of fruits and vegetables; however, this effect was only significant for food secure households. Conclusion Overall, these results suggest that HFP activities have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and may be an important safety net for food insecure households. However, HFP for food insecure households does not translate into the same higher fruit and vegetable intake as found among food secure HFP households, suggesting this population may be trying to maintain intake, or that they may have potential important resource or technical assistance needs. Long-term, HFP activities may have important food security and diet quality impacts, as well as conservation implications, which should be more thoroughly explored. Regardless, the increased interest and intensity of HFP demonstrates opportunities for educational and outreach efforts.

Use of Formal and Informal Food Resources by Food Insecure Families in Lima, Peru: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

The goal of this study was to measure food insecurity among families with children in a low-income district of Lima, Peru and to identify the formal and informal food resources available to them that may affect their food security status. In June-July 2019, we collected data from 329 randomly selected households in Villa El Salvador (Lima, Peru). Following a mixed methods approach, we found that the percentage of households using food assistance programs (FAPs) increased with increasing levels of food insecurity, but two FAPs were heavily used by households regardless of food (in)security. The main reasons for using FAPs included financial need, already being signed up in the program, and believing that the food was of nutritional value; the main reasons for non-use were finding the program unnecessary, dislike or poor perceived quality of the food, and not being able to sign up for the program. Similarly, informal food resources, such as buying food on credit or receiving food from someone outside the household, were incrementally used with increased levels of food insecurity. Our study clarifies the relationship between level of household food insecurity and FAP use – FAPs more commonly used by food insecure households were used because of financial need, whereas the FAPs most commonly used by food secure households were those with automatic enrollment. At a programmatic level, our research highlights the need for making nutritious and preferred foods available in FAPs and standardizing the application of enrollment criteria.