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Comparison between Experience-Based and Household-Undernourishment Food Security Indicators: A Cautionary Tale.

ABSTRACT: Food security is a multi-dimensional concept that requires multiple indicators to measure it correctly; however, single food security indicators are often used individually or interchangeably. The misinterpretation of individual food security indicators can have important implications for policy design and implementation. The general objective of this paper is to show the discrepancies that may arise when using two different food security indicators that operate in the same dimension of the food security concept and yield the same outcome (food security status of the household) in three of the scenarios that they might be used: (1) for measuring the prevalence of food insecurity, (2) for understanding its drivers, and (3) for estimating the potential impact of a policy. The specific objectives of this paper are (1) to measure and compare the prevalence of food insecurity in a country using the Latin America Food Security Scale (ELCSA, by its acronym in Spanish) and the household undernourishment indicator, (2) to compare the factors associated with households' food security status using the two indicators, and (3) to assess the potential use of the two indicators for ex ante policy analysis. Data for the study comes from the 2011 Survey of Living Standards from Guatemala, which collected all the data for estimating the ELCSA and the household level data required for calculating the household undernourishment indicator. Our results indicate considerable differences in the estimated prevalence of food insecurity at the national and regional levels using the two alternative indicators, with ELCSA resulting in higher estimates. Logistic regression models estimated to assess and identify household food insecurity drivers also found large differences in both the direction and magnitude of factors affecting food insecurity using the alternative food security indicators. Finally, the magnitude of the simulated impact of a cash transfer policy varied depending on the food indicator used.

SUBMITTER: Sandoval LA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7692183 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Comparison between Experience-Based and Household-Undernourishment Food Security Indicators: A Cautionary Tale.

Sandoval Luis A LA Carpio Carlos E CE Garcia Manuel M

Nutrients 20201029 11

Food security is a multi-dimensional concept that requires multiple indicators to measure it correctly; however, single food security indicators are often used individually or interchangeably. The misinterpretation of individual food security indicators can have important implications for policy design and implementation. The general objective of this paper is to show the discrepancies that may arise when using two different food security indicators that operate in the same dimension of the food ...[more]

PMID: 33137891

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Project description:Abstract Objectives Reducing the gender gap in empowerment within households is associated with indicators of improved diet. This study developed a household-level empowerment measure and then examined its association with food security. Methods This analysis used baseline data from a nutrition-sensitive agriculture intervention in rural Ghana (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03869853). Only 198 of the 330 households with complete paired empowerment data for one female and one male were included. The household empowerment measure was constructed in two stages. First, the individual empowerment score was assessed using the project-level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI) with its 12 indicators (e.g., influential group membership, access to financial services). Participants were classified as empowered (≥75%, 9 out of 12 indicators) or disempowered (<75%). Then, the household was categorized as empowered (both members empowered; 50.5%), semi-empowered (only one member empowered; 34.9%) or disempowered (both members not empowered; 14.6%). Two of the pro-WEAI indicators were assessed also at the household level using the same technique. Food security was assessed with the 15-item Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale; a binary variable was created: food secure (0), food insecure (FIS; >0). Cluster-adjusted logistic regression models examined the relationship between FIS and household empowerment. Results Over half (58%) of households were FIS. Empowered compared to disempowered households had a lower odds of being FIS (aOR = 0.50, 95% CI [0.29, 0.86]). The model for influential group membership showed that empowered were less likely than disempowered households to be FIS (aOR = 0.27, 95% CI [0.13, 0.58]) while the model for access to financial services showed the opposite (aOR = 3.15, 95% CI [1.80, 5.51]). Conclusions These results highlight the complexity of empowerment measures and support empowerment approaches that target different members of the household. Funding Sources The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (QES) is managed through a unique partnership of Universities Canada, RHF, CFC, and Canadian universities. The QES-AS is made possible with financial support from IDRC and SSHRC.

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Comparison between Experience-Based and Household-Undernourishment Food Security Indicators: A Cautionary Tale.

Publications

Comparison between Experience-Based and Household-Undernourishment Food Security Indicators: A Cautionary Tale.

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