%0 Journal Article
%T Does Household Food Insecurity Affect the Nutritional Status of Preschool Children Aged 6¨C36 Months?
%A Mahama Saaka
%A Shaibu Mohammed Osman
%J International Journal of Population Research
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/304169
%X Introduction. This study used three dependent measures of food security to assess the magnitude of household food insecurity and its consequences on the nutritional status of children 6¨C36 months in Tamale Metropolis of Northern Ghana. Methods. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 337 mother/child pairs in June 2012. Food access was measured as household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS), household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and food consumption score (FCS). Results. The magnitude of household food insecurity depended on the food access indicator, with HFIAS yielding the highest household food insecurity of 54%. Of the three food access indicators, 30-day HFIAS was not related to any of the nutrition indices measured. HDDS and FCS were both significantly associated with BMI of mothers and chronic malnutrition (stunted growth) but not acute malnutrition (wasting) with FCS being a stronger predictor of nutritional status. Compared to children in food insecure households, children in food secure households were 46% protected from chronic malnutrition ( , 95% CI: 0.31¨C0.94). Conclusions and Recommendations. The results of this study show that different measures of household food insecurity produce varied degree of the problem. Efforts at reducing chronic child malnutrition should focus on improving the adequacy of the diet. 1. Introduction Child undernutrition continues to be a major public health problem in developing countries including Ghana. According to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, there is substantial regional variation of malnutrition in Ghana, with some of the poorest indicators found in the Northern part of the country. The estimated prevalence of chronic malnutrition, for example, in the Northern Region is 32.4% compared with a national average of 28% [1]. A recent UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in 2011 showed that the prevalence of chronic under-nutrition in northern region of Ghana has increased from 32% in 2008 to 37% in 2011 [2]. According to the WHO (2000) classification of malnutrition, the malnutrition situation can be described as serious state in the northern region. The persistent prevalence of chronic malnutrition in Northern Ghana is of particular concern that requires urgent attention and immediate action. To be able to address the problem adequately, it is important that the context-specific risk factors for malnutrition are identified for appropriate interventions to be implemented. The risk factors of malnutrition are multifaceted and complex, and the
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijpr/2013/304169/