Abstract
Food insecurity is a daily reality for millions globally and persists in rural northern Ghana. Being more a problem in resource poor countries, it challenges the wellbeing of children, adults, families and communities by creating public health problems including; low birth weight babies, mental health conditions, diabetes and obesity. This research examined associations between social networks and social support and women's ability to overcome household food insecurity. A two-phase mixed method quantitative and qualitative data collection technique was applied. A 24-item instrument was developed, pilot tested, validated and administered among women responsible for food preparation in the household (n=241). Measures of household food insecurity, socio-demographic, social network, and perceived social support were constructed and analyzed using SPSS 19®. Women in northern rural Ghana who were married, with higher social supports and social networks were more likely to experience low household food insecurity. Of 241 women, 88% were married, 39% had co-wives, 80% did not have formal education, the average age was 40 years and the average number of adults per household was 7. Correlation analysis and logistic regression models revealed social networks, perceived social support, marital status and years living in the village were significantly associated to the experience of low household food insecurity.
Highlights
Household food insecurity creates public health problems and challenges the wellbeing of children, adults, families, communities and nations
Selected variables requiring transformation were transformed to categorical variables
The final model examined in this study is household food insecurity and perceived social support, social networks, marital status and years living in the village (Table 2)
Summary
Household food insecurity creates public health problems and challenges the wellbeing of children, adults, families, communities and nations. Pregnant women who are malnourished are more likely to give birth to low birth weight babies. Undernourished refers to a deficiency of energy, protein intake or absorption. Malnutrition refers to a condition in which an imbalance of energy, protein, and other nutrients cause measurable adverse effects on the body[1]. Children who experience food insecurity are more likely to have behavioral problems, do poorly in school, require more medical care and hospitalizations and develop chronic diseases as adults. The health related quality of life of children who live in food insecure conditions is poor[2]
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