Explore the vast range of titles available.

Converging research indicates that household food insecurity impedes children from reaching their full physical, cognitive, and psychosocial potential. This state-of-the-art review examines the last decade of research to: (1) describe the impact of the severity and persistence of food insecurity on child development; (2) use a socio-ecological framework to examine significant proximal and distal factors which may interplay; and (3) outline directions for future research. We conducted a systematic review of six databases of published papers from 2011 to June 2021. The search was limited to high-income countries and children aged from birth to 12 years. From 17,457 papers, 17 studies were included in the final review. Transitioning between food security and food insecurity had a significant and lasting effect on academic/cognitive function and behavior (i.e., externalizing), however less clear relationships were seen for psychosocial outcomes and other behaviors examined (i.e., internalizing). There was significant variation in the measurement and thresholds used to define both food insecurity and child development outcomes. Subsequently, comparisons across studies are difficult. Several future recommendations, including incorporation of socio-ecological factors, is provided. In conclusion, this review supports the link between food insecurity and sub-optimal child development; however, there is an imperative to improve and extend current understanding to ameliorate the causes of food insecurity.

Poor dietary patterns leading to poorer health and increased health care use have affected people living in disadvantaged economic circumstances in the UK for decades, which many fear will be exacerbated due to the UK's current so-called ‘cost of living crisis’. The voices of experts by experience of those health and social inequalities are not routinely included in health improvement intervention development in relation to obesity prevention policy and programmes. Obesity is highly correlated with food insecurity experience in high-income country contexts (where food insecurity data are routinely collected) and is similarly socially patterned. Using a health equity lens, this review paper highlights qualitative research findings that have revealed the perspectives and direct experiences of people living with food insecurity, or those others supporting food-insecure households, that shed light on the role and influence of the socio-economic contextual factors food-insecure people live with day-to-day. Insights from qualitative research that have focused on the granular detail of day-to-day household resource management can help us understand not only how food insecurity differentially impacts individual household members, but also how behavioural responses/food coping strategies are playing into pathways that lead to avoidable ill health such as obesity, diabetes and other chronic health conditions, including mental health problems. This review paper concludes by discussing research and policy implications in relation to food-insecure households containing people with chronic health conditions, and for pregnant women and families with infants and very young children living in the UK today.

•While significant differences were found between males and females, the effect size was small indicating both genders were equally affected.•Approximately 71% of the sample was moderately to severely food insecure.•Members of the LGBTQI community were more likely to experience food insecurity.•First generation students were also more likely to experience food insecurity.•Public private partnerships are crucial to addressing food insecurity among distance education students. Food insecurity is a widely studied phenomenon; however, studies documenting food insecurity among Open Distance and e-Learning students are sadly lacking. This paper aim of this paper is to study the prevalence of food insecurity among Open Distance and e-Learning students in South Africa. The purpose is to test the common assumption that Open Distance and e-Learning students do not struggle with food insecurity as they are typically living at home or employed. The method used in this paper was an online anonymous version of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and was administered through Qualtrics. Only 27.9% (n = 2084) of respondents were food secure and mildly food insecure (score of 1 to 4), while those who were moderately food insecure constituted 16.7% (n = 1250) of the sample (score of 5 to 6) and those with severe food insecurity constituted 55% (n = 4130). The dependent variable was not normally distributed and therefore nonparametric measures were used to test for differences in groups, namely, the Kruskal–Wallis and the Mann–Whitney U tests. The results show that African students are more likely to experience food insecurity compared to their counterparts, while there were no substantive differences in gender. Members of the LGBTQI community were also shown to be at higher risk of food insecurity. Those whose primary income was either grants or income from an informal business were at higher risk of food insecurity than those who worked full time. The findings of this study underscore the pervasive nature of food insecurity among students in South African Open, Distance and e-Learning education

Background From 2014–2019, Latin America and the Caribbean had the fastest growth of moderate-to-severe food insecurity than any other region, rising from 22.9% to 31.7%. While the prevalence of food insecurity is higher among women than men in every continent, Latin America has the largest food insecurity gender gap. Factors contributing to this gender inequity include underrepresentation of women in formal employment, heightened burden of dependent care on women, and unequal compensation of labor for women vs. men. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the gender of the head of the household, employment status of household members, and food insecurity in households with children in a low-income district of Lima, Peru. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out in Villa El Salvador, the fifth largest district in Metropolitan Lima, Peru, where over 20% of the population lives in poverty. Data were collected on a stratified random sample ( n  = 329) using a household questionnaire, including a validated food security tool (HFIAS). We ran multivariate logistic regression models predicting household food insecurity, with independent variables including gender of household head, education of household head, employment of household head, household-level employment status, age, and weekly food expenses per person. Results In fully adjusted models, woman-headed households had almost thrice the odds of being food insecure compared to man-headed households. Education also had a significant effect size: a household whose household head did not complete high school was 3.4 times more likely to be food insecure than if they had some post-secondary education. Woman-headed households had a significantly higher proportion of members not formally employed, compared to man-headed households, but employment status was not associated with food insecurity. Conclusions Gender of the household head was a major contributing factor to household food insecurity in Villa el Salvador. Gender dynamics affecting opportunities for employment, education, and non-remunerated work should inform national food security policies and interventions with the goal to not only lower food insecurity, but also reduce gender inequities in food insecurity and other nutritional outcomes.

This study aimed to identify and rank the different aspects of households' vulnerability to food insecurity. The data were collected by a standard online questionnaire. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale was used to assess food insecurity levels, and first-order structural equation modelling was applied to determine factors that affect food insecurity. Seven dimensions of vulnerability were measured: economic, social, cultural, human, physical, psychology and information, using thirty-seven items extracted from the related literature review. This study was implemented in Tehran province in Iran. The sample included 392 families residing in Tehran province which was determined using random sampling. About 61 % of the total sample faced food insecurity, at marginal, moderate and severe levels. Economic, psychological and human aspects of vulnerability had the highest effect on food insecurity during the initial COVID-19 lockdown. Authorities and policymakers must provide economic and financial support to vulnerable households. Abolition of US economic and financial sanctions imposed on Iran must be implemented to battle with COVID-19 in this country.

Household food insecurity (HFI) is a powerful stressor negatively associated with early childhood development (ECD). However, no comprehensive review has examined the association of HFI and ECD. Therefore, this systematic review and meta‐analysis investigated the association between HFI and ECD domains and subdomains in children under 5 years old. Peer‐reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched in electronic databases with no year or language restrictions. Studies were eligible if they assessed the association between HFI and one or more ECD domains. Data were extracted using a standard predefined protocol. Meta‐analysis was performed, and the heterogeneity across studies was explored. Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review and 14 in the meta‐analysis. Of the studies, 15 were from high income countries (HICs) and four from low–middle income countries (LMICs). For developmental risk and the cognitive/math and cognitive/school readiness and reading subdomains, the only studies available were conducted in HICs. The meta‐analysis showed that HFI was associated with developmental risk (OR 1.28; 95% CI [1.14, 1.45]), cognitive/vocabulary (OR 0.94; 95% CI [0.90, 0.98]), and cognitive/math (OR 0.84; 95% CI [0.73, 0.96]). HFI was marginally associated with cognitive/school readiness and reading (OR 0.91; 95% CI [0.82, 1.00]) and motor development (OR; 0.91, 95% CI [0.80, 1.04]). HFI was associated with poor ECD in children under 5 years old. Specifically, HFI was associated with developmental risk and poor math skills in studies conducted in HICs and with poor vocabulary skills in studies conducted in both HICs and LMICs. Prospective studies examining HFI and ECD are needed in LMICs.

Household food insecurity is gradually being acknowledged as a public health issue in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known about the actions that food insecure households take in a food crisis. We used ordered probit, count data, and Tobit models to investigate the drivers of food insecurity and the extent of household food coping mechanisms in the face of food deficit. The food consumption score and food insecurity experience scale indicators were used to measure food insecurity in Northern Ghana, while the coping strategy index was used to estimate the extent of food coping mechanisms in the midst of food shortfall. The primary coping techniques used by the sampled households included eating fewer favorite meals, lowering the number of meals eaten per day, and reducing the size of the meals eaten. The severity of a household's food insecurity status was determined by a variety of household demographic factors, asset accumulation and policy-driven factors. Households with a high number of assets, participation in non-farm activities, and access to extension services, used less approaches to overcome food shortages. Those with a large number of wards in school used more coping strategies during food shortages. Households should be encouraged to diversify their income sources, and create both capital and social assets in order to increase their resilience to food insecurity.

In recent years, many students have faced economic hardship and experienced food insecurity, even as universities strive to create more equitable pathways to college. There is a need for a more holistic perspective that addresses the complexity of food insecurity amongst college students. To this end, we examined the relationship between the social determinants of health, including college food insecurity (CoFI) and childhood food insecurity (ChFI), and their relationship with well-being measures. The study sample was a convenience sample that included 372 students at a public university who responded to an online survey in fall 2021. Students were asked to report their food security status in the previous 30 days. We used the following analytical strategies: chi-square tests to determine differences between food secure (FS) and food insecure (FI) students; binary logistic regression of CoFI on student demographics and ChFI; and ordinal or binary logistic regression for well-being measures. Black students, off-campus students, first-generation students, in-state students, and humanities/behavioral/social/health sciences majors were more likely to report CoFI. FI students were more likely to have experienced ChFI and to have lower scores on all well-being measures. ChFI was associated with four well-being measures and its effects were mediated by CoFI. College student health initiatives would benefit from accounting for SDOH, including ChFI experiences and its subsequent cumulative disadvantages experienced during college.

Background Due to the relatively low numbers of households in high income countries experiencing food insecurity most studies conflate the levels of severity, which masks between- and within-country differences. This study aims to describe the characteristics of individuals living in high income countries who were moderately or severely food insecure and investigates temporal trends in prevalence. It assesses these characteristics in comparison to those who were food secure. Methods This is a secondary analysis of data collected by the FAO Voices of the Hungry between 2014–2018. The data were collected during the annual Gallup World Polls of nationally representative samples using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Data from 34 highly developed, wealthy countries were analysed. The age, gender, income, education, area of residence and household structure of individuals experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity (FI), and severe FI, were compared using ANOVA, Welch’s F, Pearson’s Chi-square, and Linear-by-Linear Association, dependent on the variable of interest. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to group countries according to their prevalence of moderate/severe FI, and severe FI. Results Overall, 6.5% of the weighted sample were moderately/severely food insecure (M-SFI), while 1.6% were severely food insecure. M-SFI individuals were present in all 34 countries, in all years and across all education levels and income quintiles. The proportion of individuals experiencing moderate/severe FI varied between years and countries. Fifteen countries showed a significant downward temporal trend in prevalence of moderate/severe FI ( p  < 0.001), while three countries demonstrated an increasing temporal trend driven by increasing prevalence in those aged 65 years or less ( p  < 0.001). Comparing individuals experiencing moderate versus severe FI showed over-representation of males, single adult households and lower household income in the severe FI group. Conclusions Individuals across all income, education and age categories living in high income countries are experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity, but with higher prevalence in those experiencing more disadvantage. Over the study period some countries experienced escalating while others demonstrated decreasing moderate/severe FI trends. This comparison of countries with similar economic and human development indices highlights an opportunity to investigate subtle variations in social, economic and education policy that could have profound impacts on food insecurity.

Food insecurity is a rapidly increasing global challenge . It has multiple adverse effects on public health and nutrition outcomes. The level and patterns of severe food insecurity vary by region. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the spatial and spatio-temporal patterns of severe food insecurity across the African continent. Data used in this study include the annual prevalence of severe food insecurity from 2015 to 2021 , obtained from the FAO. Spatial analytical techniques such as Global Moran’s I, Anselin’s Local Moran I, and Getis-Ord Gi* statistic were used to determine the extent of spatial clustering of severe food insecurity and detect severe food insecurity hotspot (high-risk) areas over time. Kulldorff’s space–time scan statistic was also used to detect temporal and space–time clusters of severe food insecurity. A Poisson model was utilized for this purpose. The results revealed that severe food insecurity varies unevenly across the continent over time and there was a significant clustering of severe food insecurity from 2015 to 2021 at a 5% significance level. Accordingly, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic (2015–2021), Uganda (2015 and 2017–2020), Zambia (2019–2020), Angola (2019–2021) and Sierra Leone (2017) were identified as hotspot (high-risk) areas for severe food insecurity at 5% level of significance. The space–time cluster analysis identified six significant clustered areas. The most likely significant space–time cluster was located in Somalia, East Africa (LLR = 6,081,314.44, RR = 2.41, P-value < 0.000), which occurred between 2015 and 2017. The largest secondary significant space–time cluster was located in the continent’s central regions between 2015 and 2017 (LLR = 44,393,763, RR = 2.26, P < 0.000). The study concludes that intervention efforts should consider the spatial heterogeneity of severe food insecurity over time to prevent and control this issue.