Impact of supplementary feeding on intra‐household food distribution in rural Kenya

Abstract

Inequitable food distribution practices between different household members: males and females, adults and children, household heads and non‐household heads and high and low earners have been associated with the differential distribution of malnutrition and poor health status among populations. Feeding programs that provide foods to selected household members may lead to changes in intrahousehold food allocation patterns. Our objective is to evaluate the effect of school snack provision on intra‐household nutrient distribution in rural Kenya and to assess if the effects differ by type of snack received. There was significant increase in school children's total daily intake between baseline and follow‐up period which approximately matched the energy content of the snack when snack and non‐snack days were compared. There was a general decline in the quantity and quality of non‐supplementary foods received by school children and in family member's intakes. However, there was no evidence that other family members received more energy on days that the schoolchild received a snack at school. There was no evidence that supplementary snack provision was associated with the changes noted in school children's intake of home foods and family members' intakes. Neither were there any consistent between‐group differences in the changes that were reported.