Does Household Food Insecurity Affect the Nutritional Status of Preschool Children Aged 6–36 Months?

Mahama Saaka,Shaibu Mohammed Osman

doi:10.1155/2013/304169

Abstract

Introduction. This study used three dependent measures of food security to assess the magnitude of household food insecurity and its consequences on the nutritional status of children 6–36 months in Tamale Metropolis of Northern Ghana. Methods. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 337 mother/child pairs in June 2012. Food access was measured as household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS), household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and food consumption score (FCS). Results. The magnitude of household food insecurity depended on the food access indicator, with HFIAS yielding the highest household food insecurity of 54%. Of the three food access indicators, 30-day HFIAS was not related to any of the nutrition indices measured. HDDS and FCS were both significantly associated with BMI of mothers and chronic malnutrition (stunted growth) but not acute malnutrition (wasting) with FCS being a stronger predictor of nutritional status. Compared to children in food insecure households, children in food secure households were 46% protected from chronic malnutrition (, 95% CI: 0.31–0.94). Conclusions and Recommendations. The results of this study show that different measures of household food insecurity produce varied degree of the problem. Efforts at reducing chronic child malnutrition should focus on improving the adequacy of the diet.

Highlights

This study used three dependent measures of food security to assess the magnitude of household food insecurity and its consequences on the nutritional status of children 6–36 months in Tamale Metropolis of Northern Ghana
Compared to children in food insecure households, children in secure households were 46% protected from chronic malnutrition (OR = 0.54, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.31–0.94)
Our results further indicate that household food security as measured by food consumption score (FCS) is very much correlated with household wealth index and may serve a strong indicator of socioeconomic status (SES)

Summary

Introduction

This study used three dependent measures of food security to assess the magnitude of household food insecurity and its consequences on the nutritional status of children 6–36 months in Tamale Metropolis of Northern Ghana. The results of this study show that different measures of household food insecurity produce varied degree of the problem. A recent UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in 2011 showed that the prevalence of chronic undernutrition in northern region of Ghana has increased from 32% in 2008 to 37% in 2011 [2]. Food insecurity is probably one of the determinant factors of malnutrition in developing countries, but its role remains unclear. It is not known whether all children suffer from household food insecurity and at what extreme levels. Some studies have shown that in times of food insecurity, mothers are likely to reduce their own intakes to secure those of infants and small children [3, 4]

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Discussion

Conclusion