Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya
Machakos and Makueni counties in Kenya are associated with historical land degradation, climate change, and food insecurity. Both counties lie in lower midland (LM) lower humidity to semiarid (LM4), and semiarid (LM5) agroecological zones (AEZ). We assessed food security, dietary diversity, and nutr...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2014-01-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/907153 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832567547544731648 |
|---|---|
| author | Zipporah N. Bukania Moses Mwangi Robert M. Karanja Richard Mutisya Yeri Kombe Lydia U. Kaduka Timothy Johns |
| author_facet | Zipporah N. Bukania Moses Mwangi Robert M. Karanja Richard Mutisya Yeri Kombe Lydia U. Kaduka Timothy Johns |
| author_sort | Zipporah N. Bukania |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Machakos and Makueni counties in Kenya are associated with historical land degradation, climate change, and food insecurity. Both counties lie in lower midland (LM) lower humidity to semiarid (LM4), and semiarid (LM5) agroecological zones (AEZ). We assessed food security, dietary diversity, and nutritional status of children and women. Materials and Methods. A total of 277 woman-child pairs aged 15–46 years and 6–36 months respectively, were recruited from farmer households. Food security and dietary diversity were assessed using standard tools. Weight and height, or length in children, were used for computation of nutritional status. Findings. No significant difference (P>0.05) was observed in food security and dietary diversity score (DDS) between LM4 and LM5. Stunting, wasting, and underweight levels among children in LM4 and LM5 were comparable as were BMI scores among women. However, significant associations (P=0.023) were found between severe food insecurity and nutritional status of children but not of their caregivers. Stunting was significantly higher in older children (>2 years) and among children whose caregivers were older. Conclusion. Differences in AEZ may not affect dietary diversity and nutritional status of farmer households. Consequently use of DDS may lead to underestimation of food insecurity in semiarid settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce5fcf786d544c2494c5f3d5e4c18565 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-0724 2090-0732 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce5fcf786d544c2494c5f3d5e4c185652025-02-03T01:01:18ZengWileyJournal of Nutrition and Metabolism2090-07242090-07322014-01-01201410.1155/2014/907153907153Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern KenyaZipporah N. Bukania0Moses Mwangi1Robert M. Karanja2Richard Mutisya3Yeri Kombe4Lydia U. Kaduka5Timothy Johns6Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 20752, Nairobi 00200, KenyaCentre for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 20752, Nairobi 00200, KenyaCentre for Biotechnology Research and Development, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840, Nairobi 00200, KenyaCentre for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 20752, Nairobi 00200, KenyaCentre for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 20752, Nairobi 00200, KenyaCentre for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 20752, Nairobi 00200, KenyaSchool of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, CanadaMachakos and Makueni counties in Kenya are associated with historical land degradation, climate change, and food insecurity. Both counties lie in lower midland (LM) lower humidity to semiarid (LM4), and semiarid (LM5) agroecological zones (AEZ). We assessed food security, dietary diversity, and nutritional status of children and women. Materials and Methods. A total of 277 woman-child pairs aged 15–46 years and 6–36 months respectively, were recruited from farmer households. Food security and dietary diversity were assessed using standard tools. Weight and height, or length in children, were used for computation of nutritional status. Findings. No significant difference (P>0.05) was observed in food security and dietary diversity score (DDS) between LM4 and LM5. Stunting, wasting, and underweight levels among children in LM4 and LM5 were comparable as were BMI scores among women. However, significant associations (P=0.023) were found between severe food insecurity and nutritional status of children but not of their caregivers. Stunting was significantly higher in older children (>2 years) and among children whose caregivers were older. Conclusion. Differences in AEZ may not affect dietary diversity and nutritional status of farmer households. Consequently use of DDS may lead to underestimation of food insecurity in semiarid settings.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/907153 |
| spellingShingle | Zipporah N. Bukania Moses Mwangi Robert M. Karanja Richard Mutisya Yeri Kombe Lydia U. Kaduka Timothy Johns Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism |
| title | Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya |
| title_full | Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya |
| title_short | Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya |
| title_sort | food insecurity and not dietary diversity is a predictor of nutrition status in children within semiarid agro ecological zones in eastern kenya |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/907153 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zipporahnbukania foodinsecurityandnotdietarydiversityisapredictorofnutritionstatusinchildrenwithinsemiaridagroecologicalzonesineasternkenya AT mosesmwangi foodinsecurityandnotdietarydiversityisapredictorofnutritionstatusinchildrenwithinsemiaridagroecologicalzonesineasternkenya AT robertmkaranja foodinsecurityandnotdietarydiversityisapredictorofnutritionstatusinchildrenwithinsemiaridagroecologicalzonesineasternkenya AT richardmutisya foodinsecurityandnotdietarydiversityisapredictorofnutritionstatusinchildrenwithinsemiaridagroecologicalzonesineasternkenya AT yerikombe foodinsecurityandnotdietarydiversityisapredictorofnutritionstatusinchildrenwithinsemiaridagroecologicalzonesineasternkenya AT lydiaukaduka foodinsecurityandnotdietarydiversityisapredictorofnutritionstatusinchildrenwithinsemiaridagroecologicalzonesineasternkenya AT timothyjohns foodinsecurityandnotdietarydiversityisapredictorofnutritionstatusinchildrenwithinsemiaridagroecologicalzonesineasternkenya |