The Impact of Household Food Insecurity on Health and Well-Being of Women and Children

Ecology of Food and Nutrition (EFN) promotes scholarly discussion and engagement on the holistic and cross-cultural dimensions of the study of food and nutrition. Articles published in this journal focus on foods and food systems in terms of their utilization to satisfy human nutritional needs and improve health and well-being. The journal also publishes articles that examine how social and cultural factors relate to food, food cultures, and nutrition. Only a handful of journals publish articles that explicitly address the intersections of food and nutrition, biology and culture, and policy and practice from a holistic and global perspective. It is this kind of scholarship that EFN seeks to promote. This issue of EFN includes six articles that focus on the impact of household food insecurity of the health and well-being of women and children in the United States, Senegal, India, Thailand, and Mexico. Household food insecurity can be defined as the inability to provide enough food for healthy and active lifestyle for all household members (Coleman-Jensen et al. 2011). Globally, household food insecurity and hunger have insidious effects of the health and well-being of household members, especially young children and women.

The article by Burris and colleagues reports the results of an innovative mixed methods study to assess whether household food insecurity is associated with delayed or early menarche among girls in the United States. The authors interviewed both mothers and daughters in 36 households and collected socio-demographic data, age at menarche, anthropometric measurements, and household food security information. Based on a rigorous analysis of data, the authors conclude that household food insecurity significantly predicted earlier age at menarche, which has been found to be associated with chronic disease risk in adult life. The study strongly underscores the need to examine how living in a food insecure environment during adolescence may influence the timing of menarche among girls. In particular, the study reinforces the association between adolescence, household food insecurity, and chronic disease in later life.

Akpaki and colleagues examine the level of food insecurity in Matam – one of the poorest and most food-insecure regions in Senegal. Poverty continues to be a significant problem in Senegal with more than one-third of the country’s population living below the poverty line. Nearly 75% of families in Senegal suffer from chronic poverty and food insecurity (WFP 2020). Senegal frequently faces climate hazards, including droughts, soil erosion, and land degradation. These vulnerabilities increase food insecurity, especially in economically poor families. This article focuses on examining if food insecurity in Senegal is due to lack of food availability at the community level or household level. The authors used a cross-sectional study design to collect information from 103 households in four villages using focus group discussions and direct observation. The authors conclude that food insecurity in the Matam region of Senegal is primarily due to lack of food availability at the household level. The authors recommend government programs to focus on improving household income to address the perennial problem of food insecurity in Senegal.

The article by Kaku and Patil examines the dual burden of malnutrition on women belonging to low socioeconomic status in Mumbai, India. The researchers collected anthropometric measures and household socioeconomic data to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and and understand its impact on women in households with low socioeconomic status. The authors report both high prevalence of underweight and overweight among women in poor households. The authors argue that the results of their study suggest the dual burden of malnutrition among women in poor households. The high prevalence of overweight may be due to poor or unhealthy food choices that women make in socioeconomically poor households. These women also showed high levels of other co-morbidities, including hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.

The article by San-ngoen and colleagues reports the results of a cross-sectional study that compared dietary intake of iron and enhancers and inhibitors of non-heme iron absorption in hill tribe and urban women of Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand. The authors collected dietary data using three 24-h recall surveys from 128 women (19–50 years old). The authors report that compared to urban women, foods consumed by the hill tribe women included less animal protein, iron, vitamin C, and calcium. The authors recommend future nutritional intervention programs targeting hill tribe women to focus on food choices and exploring ways to enhance the intake of essential nutrients by women.

The article by Murillo-Castillo et al. focuses on understanding whether food insecurity is associated with low intake of fruits and vegetables and with overweight and obesity among children in fishing communities in northwest Mexico. The authors collected data on 100 elementary school children (aged 6–12 years), including household socioeconomic survey, food frequency questionnaire, and anthropometric mesurements. More than 60% of the households surveyed experienced food insecurity. Children in these households reported lower levels of consumption of fruits and vegetables as compared to their peers living in food-secure households. However, children in food-insecure households were not more likely to be overweight or obese than children living in food-secure households.

The article by Asher and Peters presents the results of an interesting study focusing on the relationship between meat-restricted diets and an individual’s lived experience with their diets. The authors collected online survey data of a census-balanced sample of more than 30,000 U.S. residents to understand their dietary experiences using such measures as food satisfaction, food-related quality of life, etc. Study participants were grouped into three broad categories – vegetarians, those on a reduced-meat diet, and those on a chicken-free diet. The results of the study suggest that vegetarian individuals reported better experience with diets in comparison to those who are on a meat-restricted diet.