Receiving Food Aid Research Articles

Assessment of Household Food Insecurity and Associated Factors in Rural Communities of Gondar City Administration

Background:-Ethiopia is currently ranked 169 out of 177 countries on the 2007- 2008 Human Development Index and is chronically suffers from food insecurity. Food shortages in Ethiopia aggravate the already poor health of children and adults. Millions of households in rural areas of Ethiopia suffer from chronic food insecurity and receive food aid on an annual basis. Objective:-This study was conducted to determine prevalence of household food insecurity and its associated factors in rural communities of Gondar City Administration, North West Ethiopia. Methods:-Community based cross-sectional study design was employed. Data were collected through house to house interview using household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) which is structured and universally applicable household food insecurity 9 item measurement tools. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used to determine prevalence of household food insecurity and its associated factors. Result: - 60.8% of the rural households were found to be food insecure in the study area. Out of the total eleven variables included in the logistic regression analysis model only 6 variables namely; livestock ownership (AOR= 2.05, 95%CI = 1.039- 4.022), use of fertilizer (AOR = 4.23, 95% CI = 1.741-10.275), source of potable water (AOR = 4.00, 95% CI = 2.060-7.764), off-farm income (A0R = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.249-6.712), annual farm income (AOR = 3.98, 95% CI = 2.514-6.303) and total annual income (AOR = 3.93, 95% CI = 2.471-6.258) were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion and recommendation: - The majority (60.8%) of households in rural communities of Gondar City Administration is food insecure and factors like livestock ownership, use of fertilizers, source of potable water, off-farm income, farm income and total annual income are found to be significantly associated with household food insecurity in the study area. Thus, Government bodies, NGOs and the community at large should work cooperatively in areas that enable rural households to minimize the problem of food insecurity by overcoming factors associated with it. (2014)

Post-harvest food losses in a maize-based farming system of semi-arid savannah area of Tanzania

An assessment of post-harvest handling practices and food losses in a maize-based farming system in semi-arid areas of Central and Northern Tanzania was carried out in 2012. Seventeen crops were mostly cultivated by the farmers in the surveyed areas; maize (32%), sunflower (16%) and pigeon peas (12%) were the most cultivated while maize was the most stored. There are at least 7 months between two harvest seasons of each crop; while farmers sold the crops soon after harvest to cater for household expenditure (54%) and school fees (38%), the market prices increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) within six months of storage. Most processing activities (winnowing, dehulling, drying, sorting and shelling) were carried out manually, almost entirely by women, but mechanized processing for maize, sunflower, millet, and sorghum were commonly practiced. Quantitative post-harvest losses of economic importance occur in the field (15%); during processing (13–20%), and during storage (15–25%). The main storage pests responsible for the losses are larger grain borers (Prostephanus truncatus), grain weevils (Sitophilus granarius) and, the lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica). Most of the farmers considered changes in weather (40%), field damage (33%), and storage pests (16%) as the three most important factors causing poor crop yields and aggravating food losses. However, survey results suggest that the farmers' poor knowledge and skills on post-harvest management are largely responsible for the food losses. 77% of the surveyed farmers reported inadequate household foods and 41% received food aid during the previous year. Increasing farmers' technical know-how on adaptation of the farming systems to climate variability, and training on post-harvest management could reduce food losses, and improve poverty and household food security.

The Myth of ‘Environmental Catastrophism’

Between October 2010 and April 2012, over 250,000 people, including 133,000 children under five, died of hunger caused by drought in Somalia. Millions more survived only because they received food aid. Scientists at the UK Met Centre have shown that human-induced climate change made this catastrophe much worse than it would otherwise have been.… This is only the beginning: the United Nations’ 2013 Human Development Report says that without coordinated global action to avert environmental disasters, especially global warming, the number of people living in extreme poverty could increase by up to 3 billion by 2050. Untold numbers of children will die, killed by climate change.… If a runaway train is bearing down on children, simple human solidarity dictates that anyone who sees it should shout a warning, that anyone who can should try to stop it. It is difficult to imagine how anyone could disagree with that elementary moral imperative.… And yet some do. Increasingly, activists who warn that the world faces unprecedented environmental danger are accused of catastrophism —of raising alarms that do more harm than good. That accusation, a standard feature of right-wing attacks on the environmental movement, has recently been advanced by some left-wing critics as well. While they are undoubtedly sincere, their critique of so-called environmental catastrophism does not stand up to scrutiny. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

All-of-government approach needed to tackle obesity

More and more people are becoming overweight and all over the world. Philip James tells Fiona Fleck how the epidemic started and what should be done to reverse it. Q: What attracted you to the study of obesity? A: After five years working on childhood malnutrition in Jamaica, I came back to the United Kingdom to take over a teaching programme on nutrition and public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In 1972, I put in a research proposal to look at why some women increased in weight and got very plump. In response, the Ministry of Health and the Medical Research Council (MRC) asked our department to do a complete analysis of the obesity research literature and this was published as a Department of Health/MRC report in 1976. The MRC thought this was intriguing, as they had never considered funding this area and this led to my being funded to establish the Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre in Cambridge. Q: Why was that report so important? A: We considered body mass index (BMI) as a standard measurement of overweight and showed that if this went up, your risk of death increased. The Department of Health was concerned because the report suggested that this could become a major public health problem. Q: Where did you find strong enough evidence in this unstudied field? A: We used data that life insurance companies had started gathering before the Second World War in the USA. They had come up with a system of putting extra premiums on people if they were heavy for their sex and height on the basis of the observed life expectancy of the group. They had millions of men and women taking out insurance and provided decades of follow-ups on these individuals. Q: Why did the 1976 report take a BMI of 25 and above for overweight and BMI of 30 and above for obesity? A: We saw from that data that blood pressure went up as the body weight went up from a BMI of about 20 and that at about a BMI of 25--whatever your height or sex--premature mortality started to increase. In the insurance world, the convention was to take obesity to be 20% above normal weight. So, 20% above a BMI of 25 is 30, and so we took a BMI of 30 as the obesity cut-off point. We knew that the BMI was a crude measure and, for example, rugby players might be obese but were stacked with muscle. Nevertheless, we were able to specify the degree of overweight at each level of BMI in the average man and woman. Q: What were the limitations of that study? A: We thought that a BMI of 25 was only useful for estimating the risk of premature death and this has become the criterion for specifying its cut-off point, but now we know that the risk of type 2 diabetes increases rapidly between a BMI of 20 and 25, also the risk of high blood pressure, ischaemic heart disease and some cancers relating to weight gain increase before one's BMI increases above 25. Q: When was obesity classified as a disease? A: It was already classified as a disease when WHO took over the International Classification of Disease in 1948. Subsequently, though, when studying heart disease and high blood pressure, epidemiologists started to classify obesity as a risk factor. They did us a great disservice, as this suggests that risk factors are an individual's responsibility, in this case, for not eating the right foods. That epidemiological approach played a huge role in downplaying the importance of obesity as a public health problem. Q: When did those perceptions change? A: In the mid-1980s, I saw high rates of obesity among women even in poor households in Egypt, Kenya and Mexico, yet these populations were receiving food aid because their babies were stunted. No one was interested in the obesity problem. In 1995, I established the International Obesity Task Force and we contributed to the work of the first WHO expert consultation on obesity. …

Household Economic and Food Security after the 2010 Pakistan Floods

The 2010 floods inundated one-fifth of Pakistan and affected more than 20 million people. To characterize the impact of the floods and subsequent humanitarian response on household economy and food security. A cross-sectional 80 x 20 cluster survey (n = 1,569 households) was conducted using probability proportional to size sampling in the four most flood-affected provinces 6 months after the floods. Analysis included both descriptive statistics and regression models, with receipt of food aid (in the first month), dietary quality, and household income at 6 months postflood as outcomes. Need for food aid was nearly ubiquitous (98.9%); however, only half of the study population ever received food aid. Displacement was not a significant predictor of food aid receipt (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.98); however urban location (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.00 to 3.86) and damage to the home (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.34 to 5.60) were significantly associated. Some of the hardest-hit groups, including both farmers and day laborers, were significantly less likely to receive food aid (p < .05). Additionally, receipt of food aid was not necessarily associated with improved household economy or food security; although households in internally displaced people (IDP) camps were more likely to receive food aid (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.00 to 3.86), they were less likely to report same or improved dietary quality (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.88) or income status (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.86). Food aid coverage following the 2010 floods was relatively low, and many of the most affected populations were less likely to receive aid, suggesting that targeting should be improved in future responses.

Recipients’ Satisfaction with Locally Procured Food Aid Rations: Comparative Evidence from a Three Country Matched Survey

Summary Using survey data from natural experiments in three countries that simultaneously received food aid sourced locally and from the United States, we test the hypothesis that locally-sourced commodities are more culturally appropriate and thus preferred over traditional food aid commodities sourced from the donor country. We use a semi-nonparametric regression method to estimate recipients’ satisfaction with these commodities across a range of criteria. We establish that recipients of locally procured rations are generally more satisfied with the commodities they receive than are recipients of US-sourced foods. This pattern is especially pronounced among less-well-off recipients.

Assessment of factors to receiving food aid in the Caprivi region of Namibia: A factor analysis approach

Now than ever before, rural communities in the Caprivi region of Namibia are relying more on food aid. This shows that something has gone wrong with their sources of livelihood. This paper seeks to reveal the factors that predispose one to receive food aid. A sample size of 253 respondents was randomly selected from Kabbe, Katima Rural and Linyanti Constituencies. The three constituencies constitute the flood plains. Factor analysis was used to empirically identify patterns of relationships among observed factors. The results obtained show that five factor components, namely, capacity to farm, climate risk awareness, household economic status, past economic opportunities, and household labour with eigenvalues of ≥ 1 are invaluable to eligibility to food aid. These factors have proven to be responsible for about 68% of the total variance and are thus, vital for predisposing rural households to receiving food aid in the study area. By addressing and taking measures on the variables of the factor components that expose households to food aid, rural households in the study area would most likely stay away from relying on food aid.

No end in sight for North Korea's malnutrition crisis

Relief agencies have warned that millions of North Koreans are malnourished, with the most vulnerable facing starvation in the coming months, despite reports that the impoverished state has received food aid from China and South Korea. The warning comes after the sudden death of the North Korea’s former leader, Kim Jong-il, put on hold a possible deal in which it was preparing to accept 240 000 tonnes of food aid from the USA in return for suspending its uranium enrichment programme, which would give it a further means of developing nuclear weapons. Late last month, just weeks after Kim’s youngest son, Kim Jong-un, was named the North’s new leader, reports said thousands of Chinese lorries had been seen crossing the border to deliver shipments of rice. The Tokyo Shimbun, a daily newspaper in Japan, earlier reported that China had agreed to provide North Korea with 500 000 tonnes of rice and 250 000 tonnes of crude oil. China provides 45% of North Korea’s food, according to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. South Korea’s Government cut off offi cial aid in 2008 after its conservative president, Lee Myung-bak, ended the country’s “sunshine” policy of engagement with its neighbour. As the North’s new leadership warned the South against having military drills near their maritime border, it accepted a shipment of 180 tonnes of fl our to primary schools and day-care centres from the Seoul-based Korea Peace Foundation. South Korea’s Government has said it will not resume large-scale aid provision until the North begins dismantling its nuclear weapons programme, but it does allow civic groups to send essentials for children, such as fl our and medicine.

Childhood malnutrition during the Bosnian conflict: Four linked cross-sectional studies

In the first years of the Bosnia conflict (1992–1995), a number of small local studies failed to confirm the expected widespread malnutrition that was the basis of humanitarian appeals. At the request of relief agencies, four population surveys from 1994 to 1997 measured childhood malnutrition during and immediately after the conflict as well as potential risk factors. The four surveys visited a random sample of clusters from population registers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Republica Srpska (RS). All surveys measured mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in children 6–59 months old in 31 BiH clusters and in 10 RS clusters (last three surveys). An administered questionnaire documented potential risk factors, including breastfeeding, receipt of food aid and socio-economic variables. Analysis relied on a cluster-adjusted multivariate Mantel–Haenszel procedure. In BiH, the proportion of children with MUAC less than 125 mm increased between 1994 and 1997: 5.5%, 6.8%, 14.2% and 8.6% (χ2 = 23.2; 2 d.f.); using z-scores (>−2SD), the increase was 2.8%, 5.6%, 7.5% and 5.7% (χ2 = 11.9; 2 d.f.). In the third year of life, the risk of malnutrition was significantly higher in children from households receiving food aid (ORa = 2.38, 95% CIca = 1.36–4.15), whereas in the fourth year of life the risk of malnutrition was higher among children in male-absent households (ORa = 4.42, 95% CIca = 1.99–9.83). The risk of malnutrition was not related to ethnicity, sex of the child or urban/rural residence. The increased childhood malnutrition between 1994 and 1997 confirms increased vulnerability of some segments of the Bosnian population over the last years of the war, despite the humanitarian aid programme.

The Strategic Substitution of United States Foreign Aid

I present a foreign policy decision-making theory that accounts for why US food aid is used strategically when other more powerful economic aid tools are at the disposal of policymakers. I focus my analysis on US food aid because this aid program provides an excellent case with which to test for the existence of foreign policy substitution. Substitution is an important assumption of many foreign policy theories yet proves to be an allusive empirical phenomenon to observe. Central to this analysis is the identification of legal mechanisms such as the “needy people” provision in the US foreign aid legislation that legally restrict certain types of aid; this mechanism, however, does allow for the allocation of certain types of foreign aid, such as food aid, to human rights abusing regimes. Thus, I test if food aid is used as a substitute for human rights abusing states while methodologically accounting for other aid options. The empirical results, estimated with a multinomial logit and Heckman model, demonstrate that countries with high levels of human rights abuse are (i) more likely to receive food aid and (ii) receive greater amounts of food aid even when controlling for other economic aid, the conditioning effect of strategic interests and humanitarian need over the period 1990–2004.

Relationship between Food Aid and Acute Malnutrition following an Earthquake

The relationship between food aid and acute malnutrition among children under 5 years of age was assessed in northern Pakistan following the 2005 earthquake. Separate cross-sectional household-based surveys were performed in Mansehra and Muzaffarabad districts. Probability proportional to size (PPS) was used to select clusters in each district, and households were randomly selected within each cluster. Information collected included receipt of food aid, child health, level of household damage, water sources, and excreta disposal. Children in households receiving food aid had a lower prevalence of acute malnutrition in Mansehra (adjusted OR, controlled for confounders, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.13 to 1.22) and Muzaffarabad (adjusted OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.44). Communities with higher levels of complete household destruction were more likely to receive food aid. Children in households receiving food aid had a lower prevalence of acute malnutrition than those in households not receiving food aid, even after accounting for various confounding variables, although this difference was not statistically significant.

Micronutrient deficiencies in food aid beneficiaries: A review of seven African countries.

In order to identify micronutrients likely to be deficient in food aid beneficiary populations and to guide the formulation of food aid products, this review was undertaken to summarize published data about micronutrient deficiencies in food aid beneficiaries as compared to the general population in seven African countries (Niger, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). These countries wereidentified by SUSTAIN as having received significant quantities of United States Public Law 480 (P.L. 480) Title II fortified and blended food aid products from 2001– 2006. Information was drawn from agency reports, personal communications, national survey data, and academic literature, primarily published since the year 2000. Among food aid beneficiaries in these countries, vitamin A and iron deficiencies were most prevalent. Deficiencies in zinc, folate (particularly in pregnancy), vitamins B-12, C,and D, thiamine, riboflavin, and calcium are likely prevalent based on low intake and physical signs of deficiency documented in the literature. In some cases, food aid rations provide insufficient quantity and quality of micronutrients, especially when used over extended periods of time as the sole food source. In nearly all the countries reviewed, deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, iodine, and other micronutrients are also quite common in the general population (those not receiving food aid). Micronutrientstatus information for food aid beneficiaries came mainly from studies inrefugee/emergency settings, with few published studies found documenting the nutritional status of non-emergency food aid recipients. Useful insights were obtained by the review although limited micronutrient data were available for food aid beneficiaries. The micronutrient status of food aid beneficiaries should be monitored, with food aid products formulated to match the deficiencies present. Where possible,the use of anthropometry, simplified dietary assessment methods, and physical inspection are recommended to estimate micronutrient status where biochemical tests are not feasible. Agencies that currently monitor the nutritional status of food aid recipients are urged to make reports available to researchers, relief agencies, and the public.

A Fortified Street Food to Prevent Nutritional Deficiencies in Homeless Men in France

Objective: To develop a food policy approach to prevent nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition in homeless men in France.Study Population and Methods: A dietary survey was conducted among homeless men visiting an emergency shelter in Paris to assess their nutritional status and the quality of food aid provided. The use of a fortified food easy to eat in the street was identified as the best strategy to improve nutrient intake in this population. A fortified street food was therefore designed and its acceptability was tested in eight emergency centers.Results: The dietary survey showed that there is a high frequency of malnutrition and inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals in homeless men in France although they are receiving food aid. A chocolate-flavored spread, naturally rich in potassium and n-3 fatty acids and fortified with nutritional doses of calcium, zinc, vitamins C, D, E, B12, thiamin, niacin and folic acid was designed. It presents multiple advantages in the context of homeless nutrition: good resistance to bacterial contamination, a suitable viscosity for people with limited chewing capacity and high energy density. The acceptability study showed that approximately two thirds of the homeless men visiting emergency centers in Paris would consume the fortified food often, or daily, if available. Another advantage of this fortified street food is its high quality/price ratio, demonstrated by linear programming analysis in the present study.Conclusions: Encouraging the use of fortified street foods in food aid programs is a practical and economic way to prevent nutritional deficiencies in homeless individuals.

Impact of food aid on smallholder agriculture development in Swaziland

Food aid is a widely debated development topic and such debates have given rise to the existence of two schools of thought regarding its resultant effects. The general belief is that food aid has disincentive effects, whereas the counter belief is that food aid instead comes with contributional effects to agricultural development. For the past five production seasons, cereal food aid deliveries have featured prominently in the coverage of Swaziland's maize gap following Government's appeal to the international community to assist with the impact of drought on the country's food production. This study examined whether food aid has affected agricultural production of smallholder farmers in Swaziland who ironically constitute a larger proportion of food aid beneficiaries in the occurrence of drought. The study was based on empirical evidence from a representation of 240 smallholder farming households identified from the Lowveld Cattle & Cotton and the Highveld Maize & Cattle Food Economy Zones. Data were collected using multiple stage and random sampling techniques and analysed using Chi-square, logistic regression and multiple regression. Key findings of the study reflected that there is no significant dependence between food aid and agricultural production at household level. Agricultural production is not affected by receiving food aid per se, however, the mode of distribution to beneficiaries (free food aid) remains a cause for concern as it is likely to influence production decisions of beneficiaries. Further analysis revealed that the identification criteria are inconsistent within the study area, reflecting the necessity to improve on targeting. The issue of targeting needs to be further investigated as it could give a broader picture with regards to errors of inclusion and exclusion. Such a study would be suitable to examine the efficiency of food aid in the country. It is recommended that the Government of Swaziland considers the formulation of a food security policy that will address food security issues in a wholistic manner rather than to rely on a food aid programme that is meant for short term interventions when infact the effects of drought appear to be perpetual in the country. Keywords : Food Aid, Agricultural Production, impact AJFAND Vol. 8 (2) 2008 pp. 151-169

A comparative analysis of rainfed and irrigated agricultural production in Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s economy is dependent on agriculture which contributes more than 50% to GDP, about 60% to foreign exchange earning and provides livelihood to more than 85% of the population. Ethiopia has a large potential of water resources that could be developed for irrigation. Despite the large water resources, Ethiopia continues to receive food aid to about 10% of the population who are at risk annually, out of a total of more than 67 million. The government of Ethiopia is committed to solving this paradox through an agricultural led development program that includes irrigation development as one of the strategies. This paper compares rainfed and irrigated agricultural production in Ethiopia. Using the stochastic production frontier approach, the study concludes that irrigation development in Ethiopia is a viable development strategy but attention needs to be paid to improving the technology available to farmers under both rainfed and irrigated production.

Child Growth, Shocks, and Food Aid in Rural Ethiopia

AbstractChild stunting in Ethiopia has persisted at alarming rates, despite enormous amounts of food aid, often procured in response to shocks. Using nationally representative data, the study finds that while harvest failure leads to child growth faltering, food aid affected child growth positively and offset the negative effects of shocks in communities that received food aid. However, many communities that experienced shocks did not receive food aid. In sum, while food aid has helped reduce child malnutrition, inflexible food aid targeting, together with endemic poverty and limited maternal education, has left the prevalence of child stunting at alarming levels.

Credit program outcomes: coping capacity and nutritional status in the food insecure context of Ethiopia

This paper presents findings of a survey that was primarily intended as (1) an assessment of coping capacity in drought and food insecure conditions and (2) a microfinance program outcome study. A three group cross-sectional survey of 819 households was conducted in May 2003 in two predominantly rural sites in Ethiopia. Established clients of the WISDOM Microfinance Institution were compared with similar incoming clients and community controls. No overall pattern of enhanced prevalence of coping mechanisms was observed in any participant group, suggesting that participation in the lending program did not affect coping capacity at the household level. No significant differences in mean mid-upper arm circumference or prevalence of acute malnutrition were found in males or females when the total sample was assessed. In the primary survey site, Sodo, female clients and their children had significantly better nutritional status than other comparison groups: the odds of malnourishment in female community controls compared to established female clients was 3.2 (95% CI: 1.1–9.8) and the odds of acute malnutrition in children 6–59 months of age were 1.6 times greater in children of both male clients and community controls (95% CI: .78–3.32). Household food security among female client households in Sodo was significantly better than in other comparison groups according to a variety of indicators. As compared to female clients, male clients and community controls, respectively, were 1.94 (95% CI: 1.05–3.66) and 2.08 (95% CI: 1.10–4.00) times more likely to have received food aid during the past year. Findings of the present study suggest that microfinance programs may have an important impact on nutritional status and well-being of female clients and their families. That female clients were significantly less likely to be food aid recipients suggests that microfinance programs may be successful in reducing vulnerability to prolonged drought and food insecurity.

Briefing: Sudan: The new war in Darfur

AT THE TIME OF WRITING,1 hopes were high that a peace agreement would be signed between the Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), bringing an end to a war in southern Sudan that has lasted on and off since independence in 1956. At the same time, there were worrying signs of growing conflict in the Darfur region in the west of the country, pitting forces based among the local Muslim peoples against pro-government militias known as the Janjaweed. The growth of this new conflict indicates that Sudan's civil war was never entirely a north-south or a Muslim-Christian struggle, but that it is a country-wide conflict that even incorporates other Muslim populations. The two main anti-government groupings in the Greater Darfur region are the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A). The Janjaweed militias are said to be largely of Chadian origin and finance themselves through plunder and pillage, reportedly enjoying implicit support from the government in Khartoum. The conflict has already left thousands of Darfurians killed, with an estimated 600,000 internally displaced and some 110,000 crossing as refugees into neighbouring Chad. As the government has denied access to most of the relief agencies operating in the country, the Darfur region is in effect sealed off from the outside world, leaving displaced people with little chance of receiving food aid and medical supplies. Despite its geographical remoteness, by late 2003 the crisis in Darfur gradually came to international attention. The grave deterioration of the situation during recent months has led Western supporters of the ongoing IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) negotiations between the government of Sudan and the SPLM/A to acknowledge the seriousness of the escalating violence in Darfur. As the crisis is throwing a shadow over the peace talks in Naivasha in Kenya, the international community is expected to respond to the fighting. The insurrection in Darfur is gaining rapidly in coherence. In the light of the SPLM/A's bilateral talks with the government, several opposition movements are afraid that, once part of the transitional government, the

Hunger and Poverty among Elderly Patients Attending an Emergency Department

BackgroundSingapore is an affluent small nation‐state with a high per capita gross domestic product.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of hunger and poverty among elderly patients attending an emergency department (ED).MethodsAll patients aged 65 years and above who sought treatment at the ED of an urban acute care hospital over one week between 0900 and 1700 hours were surveyed. Two trained interviewers administered a face‐to‐face close‐ended questionnaire. Data collected were demographics, health status and surrogate indicators of poverty and hunger.ResultsOf the 210 non‐critically ill patients approached, data was available for 194 (92.4%), of which 51% were men. The mean age was 76.7 (SD 7.4) years. Majority of the patients were well taken care of but a minority were not coping: 0.5% was homeless, 3.1% had skipped medical appointments in the last year due to lack of money, 1% did not have enough to eat and were not receiving any food aid and 1.5% borrowed money to buy food in the previous six months. Despite their advanced age, there were 12 (6.2%) who were sole breadwinners for their families. Twenty‐one patients (10.8%) were already on welfare assistance and 5.7% received food aid to supplement their basic food needs.ConclusionThough the numbers were not alarming, it was worrying that some elderly patients were going hungry or skipping medical appointments due to lack of money or still had family dependent on their income. The ED can help by actively identifying these at‐risk elderly and referring them for welfare assistance.

Assessing the effects of monetized food aid on: reproductive behavior in rural Honduras

This article describes the methodology and findings of a study undertaken to assess whether the monetization of non-emergency food aid has adversely influenced national family planning program efforts in Honduras. Due to time constraints, an ex-post, non-equivalent group design was the strongest feasible study design. In the study, women receiving food aid in the form of cash coupons were compared with women receiving food rations and a third group of comparable women who were not food aid recipients on three types of outcomes: recent fertility, fertility preferences, and contraceptive use (both current and intended). A ‘sample selection’ model was used in the analysis to control for unobserved differences between comparison groups. No compelling evidence for either adverse demand- or supply-side effects was observed.