Food Insecurity and Water Insecurity in Rural Zimbabwe: Development of Multidimensional Household Measures
Nadia Koyratty1, Andrew D Jones2, Roseanne Schuster3
1Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
Summary
This study developed new multidimensional measures for household food insecurity (FI) and water insecurity (WI) in rural Zimbabwe. These distinct indicators help identify specific issues to improve global health and nutrition interventions.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Nutrition Science
- Water Resource Management
Background:
- Millions face malnutrition and inadequate water access, highlighting the importance of food insecurity (FI) and water insecurity (WI).
- Existing unidimensional metrics for FI and WI are insufficient for comprehensive assessment and intervention.
- Multidimensional approaches are needed to capture the complex nature of food and water access issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate multidimensional measures of household food insecurity (FI) and water insecurity (WI).
- To identify distinct dimensions within FI and WI for targeted interventions.
- To assess the validity of these new measures using existing trial data.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Sanitation, Hygiene and Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial.
- Employed multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) to conceptualize multidimensional FI and WI.
- Applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess internal validity and external associations.
Main Results:
- Identified three key dimensions for FI: poor food access, household shocks, and low food quality/availability.
- Identified three key dimensions for WI: poor water access, poor water quality, and low water reliability.
- Validated the distinctness and predictive validity of these multidimensional indicators.
Conclusions:
- Household food insecurity and water insecurity are distinct and can be measured through separate multidimensional indicators.
- These refined indicators are crucial for pinpointing specific challenges in food and water access.
- The findings provide a basis for developing more effective health and nutrition interventions.
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