Physical activity, time use, and food intakes of rural households in Ghana, India, and Nepal.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zanello G
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7054409 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Physical activity, time use, and food intakes of rural households in Ghana, India, and Nepal.
Zanello Giacomo G Srinivasan C S CS Picchioni Fiorella F Picchioni Fiorella F Webb Patrick P Nkegbe Paul P Cherukuri Radhika R Neupane Shailes S
Scientific data 20200303 1
With more than 820 million undernourished people living in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), ending hunger and ensuring access to food by all is a global priority. In the past few decades, the adoption of technological innovations in the agricultural sector and related crop yield improvements have not led to expected improvements in the nutritional status of rural households in many LMICs. The increased energy expenditure associated with the adoption of productivity-enhanc ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundExisting literature on the impacts of adult illness on household labour supply and income in low- and middle-income countries shows that adverse health conditions significantly affect household labour supply, work participation and earnings. Most of the studies, however, are not equipped to distinguish between short- and long-term consequences of adult illness. We measured the impact of adult illness on household employment outcomes both in the short- and the long-run, using a unique longitudinal data set from rural India.MethodsWe used two waves of India Human Development Survey (1993-94 and 2004-05) with a balanced panel of 10 726 households to assess short-run (in the year of the occurrence of adult illness) and long-run (after 11 years of the occurrence of adult illness) effects of major illness of adult household members aged 15-64 years on household employment outcomes, using multiple matching methods: nearest-neighbor matching and inverse probability weighting following propensity score matching, and coarsened exact matching to compare employment outcomes to a set of matched control households.ResultsRural households affected by adult illness experienced declines in workforce participation rate by 1-3%, wage employment by 4-15 days, and wage-earnings by Indian Rupee (INR) 374 to INR 837 compared to the matched control households in the short-run. In response, adult non-sick members of the affected households increased their workforce participation sharply by 14-16% to compensate for shortfalls in the short-run. In the long-run, workforce participation rate of the affected households also declined by nearly 1-3%. The long-run declines in wage-days and wage-earnings were small and not always statistically significant across the methods. However, long-run workforce participation rate of non-sick adults were smaller (4-6%) compared to short-run, but still statistically significant.ConclusionsThe long-term effects were smaller in absolute magnitude than those of the short-run. This suggests coping and adjustments by the affected households using this 11-year longer time-span in a manner that helps to ameliorate the immediate impacts of adult illness. Our study also reiterates the importance of improving financial access to health services as well as access to social security benefits for the illness-affected households in rural India both in the short- and long-run.
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| S-EPMC7473086 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The mechanisms through which livestock ownership is associated with childhood anaemia are contested. Using a cross-sectional, community-based survey of 300 households in southern Ghana, we determined the associations of household livestock ownership with anaemia among children aged 2-5 years. Potential mediating effects of animal-source food (ASF) consumption, microbial infections, and household food security were investigated. Data on each child's anaemia, malaria, and intestinal infections were collected for a subset of 221 households. Anaemia was defined as a haemoglobin (Hb) concentration <110 g/L. ASF consumption was measured as a count of the number of different ASF types consumed by each child in the week prior to the interview. Household food security was measured with a 15-item, pre-tested tool adapted from the USDA Household Food Security Core Module. The number of sheep and goats in aggregate was associated with higher odds of a child being anaemic (aOR (95% CI) = 1.10 (1.03, 1.17)). Households owning more free-range poultry had greater diversity of consumed ASFs among children (Coef. (95% C) = 0.02 (0.01, 0.03)). Owning more pigs was associated with higher odds that a household was food secure (1.05 (0.99, 1.12). We found no evidence that the child's ASF consumption mediated the association of livestock ownership with child anaemia, however,household food security mediated the association between household pig ownership and child anaemia. Overall, household ownership of livestock was associated with higher ASF consumption among children and improved household-level food security, yet also a higher odd of anaemia among those young children. The mechanisms leading to these seemingly counterintuitive relationships require further investigation.
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Project description:Among rural families, rates of both child obesity and household food insecurity (FI) are higher compared to non-rural families. These disparities result from a complex interplay of social and environmental conditions that influence behavior. The Transtheoretical Model suggests individual readiness to change underlies success in modifying obesity-preventing behaviors; however, whether an association between readiness to change obesity-related behaviors and FI status among rural families exists is unknown. We examined the association between readiness to change family-level nutrition and physical activity (PA) behaviors that predict child obesity and family FI status within a sample of rural families to better understand these relationships. Families (n = 144) were recruited from six rural Oregon communities in 2013. Families completed a FI screener and the Family Stage of Change Survey (FSOC), a measure of readiness to change family-level nutrition and PA behaviors associated with obesity. Demographic differences by FI status were explored, and regression was applied to examine relationships between FI and FSOC scores, adjusting for relevant covariates. Among FI families (40.2%), more were non-white (77.8% vs. 22.2%; p = 0.036) and had lower adult education (30.4% vs. 11.8% with > high school degree; p = 0.015) compared to non-FI families. After adjusting for education, race, ethnicity, and eligibility for federal meal programs, readiness to provide opportunities for PA was lower among FI families (p = 0.002). These data highlight a need to further investigate how food insecurity and low readiness to provide PA opportunities, i.e. "physical activity insecurity" may be contributing to the higher obesity rates observed among rural children and families.
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Project description:Introduction There is a dearth of information about the food variety and consumption scores of adolescents in Ghana. This study assessed predictors of food variety and consumption scores of adolescents living in a rural district in Ghana. Method In this cross-sectional study, a multi-stage sampling method was used to select one hundred and thirty-seven (137) adolescents from the Asante-Akim South Municipality of Ghana. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic, food practices and dietary intakes of study participants. Descriptive, chi-square, T-test, partial correlation and binary logistic regression were used for the data analysis. Results The mean food variety score was 25.8±6.4 (range 7–42) and food consumption score was 35±5.1 (range 18.6–49.9). Food variety score was significantly (p<0.05) associated with guardian income status. A significant and positive partial correlation existed between food variety score and calcium intake (r = 0.236, p<0.05). About 49% and 51% of adolescents were food insecure and food secure, respectively. Food consumption score had significant association (p<0.05) with gender (X2 = 6.1), residence (X2 = 7.0), frequency of meal (X2 = 6.8) and food variety score (X2 = 5.4). Adolescent male (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI (1.2–4.6), p = 0.017), peri-urban residency (AOR = 2.1, 95%CI (1.0–4.4), p = 0.036), having three or more meals per day (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI (1.3–13.6), p = 0.018), and a high food variety score (AOR = 2.1, 95%CI (1.0–4.2), p = 0.041) significantly predicted food consumption scores. Conclusion Moderate income status was associated with food variety score in our study participants. Linear relationship existed between food variety and calcium intake. Adolescent males, peri-urban residency, frequency of meals and high food variety score were the predictors of food consumption score. Nutrition-specific and nutrition sensitive programmes aimed at promoting adolescent health should involve guardians.
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