Intra-Household Food Distribution among Guatemalan Families in a Supplementary Feeding Programme: Mothers’ Perceptions

Abstract

Mothers’ views on the appropriate distribution of food within a household, and the relation of these views to actual food distribution, are explored. The subjects were 45 mothers with one child enrolled in a health centre's food-supplementation programme in periurban Guatemala because of low weight for height. In the interviews, most of the mothers did not report believing that more food should be given to the targeted child. The four distribution rules mentioned were giving preference to adults or workers, giving preference to children, giving preference to males, and equality. The latter two rules were significantly associated with actual food distribution within the families: mothers who stated a male preference (N = 13) were likely to give more food to males than those who did not, and mothers who stated a preference for equality (N = 29) gave a relatively higher proportion of food to children. Recommendations for food supplementation programmes are made.