TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring Food Insecurity in Children under 5 Years of Age with Acute Undernutrition in Valle Del Cauca—Colombia
AU - Parra-Pinzon, Laura Valentina
AU - Pinzon-Gomez, Elisa Maria
AU - Pico-Fonseca, Sayda Milena
AU - Hurtado, Isabel Cristina
AU - Guzman-Benavides, Ana Rocio
AU - Pantoja-Rodríguez, Olmer Alexander
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/9/24
Y1 - 2024/9/24
N2 - Malnutrition is a global problem that affects all countries in one or more of its forms, representing one of the greatest challenges worldwide. One of the key contributing factors is food insecurity, which must be evaluated in children with moderate and severe acute malnutrition, as they are at imminent risk of death. Objective: Our objective was to assess food insecurity among children under 5 years old with moderate, and severe malnutrition from Valle del Cauca, a state located in the southwestern region of Colombia. Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted, including children whose weight-for-height (W/H) indicator was below 2 SD, as recorded on the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts, or who exhibited severe malnutrition phenotypes such as marasmus or Kwashiorkor. Family and child food security were evaluated using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). Results: 58.6% of households with acutely malnourished children experienced food insecurity. A statistically significant relationship was found between food insecurity and children of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. According to caregivers’ perceptions, 30.2% of child malnutrition cases were related to poor feeding and caregiving practices. Conclusions: Not all children with acute malnutrition suffer from food insecurity. Therefore, the findings of this research suggest that governmental efforts should focus not only on ensuring food availability, but also on educating caregivers about the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet tailored to the specific characteristics of each region and promoting appropriate caregiving practices.
AB - Malnutrition is a global problem that affects all countries in one or more of its forms, representing one of the greatest challenges worldwide. One of the key contributing factors is food insecurity, which must be evaluated in children with moderate and severe acute malnutrition, as they are at imminent risk of death. Objective: Our objective was to assess food insecurity among children under 5 years old with moderate, and severe malnutrition from Valle del Cauca, a state located in the southwestern region of Colombia. Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted, including children whose weight-for-height (W/H) indicator was below 2 SD, as recorded on the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts, or who exhibited severe malnutrition phenotypes such as marasmus or Kwashiorkor. Family and child food security were evaluated using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). Results: 58.6% of households with acutely malnourished children experienced food insecurity. A statistically significant relationship was found between food insecurity and children of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. According to caregivers’ perceptions, 30.2% of child malnutrition cases were related to poor feeding and caregiving practices. Conclusions: Not all children with acute malnutrition suffer from food insecurity. Therefore, the findings of this research suggest that governmental efforts should focus not only on ensuring food availability, but also on educating caregivers about the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet tailored to the specific characteristics of each region and promoting appropriate caregiving practices.
KW - malnutrition in children under 5 years
KW - food insecurity
KW - ELCSA scale
UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/children11101155
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/1425b796-5a64-3258-b5c2-2688b236654d/
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207722977&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/children11101155
DO - 10.3390/children11101155
M3 - Article
C2 - 39457119
SN - 2227-9067
VL - 11
JO - Children
JF - Children
IS - 10
M1 - 1155
ER -