Food Insecurity and Water Insecurity in Rural Zimbabwe: Development of Multidimensional Household Measures

Nadia Koyratty, Andrew D. Jones, Roseanne Schuster, Katarzyna Kordas, Chin-Shang Li, Mduduzi N. N. Mbuya, Godfred O. Boateng, Robert Ntozini, Bernard Chasekwa, Jean H. Humphrey, Laura E. Smith and on behalf of the SHINE Trial Team
Additional contact information
Nadia Koyratty: Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
Andrew D. Jones: Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Roseanne Schuster: Center for Global Health, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Katarzyna Kordas: Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
Chin-Shang Li: School of Nursing, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
Mduduzi N. N. Mbuya: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Godfred O. Boateng: Department of Kinesiology, College of Nursing and Health Innovations, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
Robert Ntozini: Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research, Harare, Zimbabwe
Bernard Chasekwa: Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research, Harare, Zimbabwe
Jean H. Humphrey: Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research, Harare, Zimbabwe
Laura E. Smith: Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research, Harare, Zimbabwe
on behalf of the SHINE Trial Team: Members of the SHINE Trial team are listed at https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/civ844 .

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-23

Abstract: Background : With millions of people experiencing malnutrition and inadequate water access, FI and WI remain topics of vital importance to global health. Existing unidimensional FI and WI metrics do not all capture similar multidimensional aspects, thus restricting our ability to assess and address food- and water-related issues. Methods : Using the Sanitation, Hygiene and Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial data, our study conceptualizes household FI ( N = 3551) and WI ( N = 3311) separately in a way that captures their key dimensions. We developed measures of FI and WI for rural Zimbabwean households based on multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) for categorical data. Results : Three FI dimensions were retained: ‘poor food access’, ‘household shocks’ and ‘low food quality and availability’, as were three WI dimensions: ‘poor water access’, ‘poor water quality’, and ‘low water reliability’. Internal validity of the multidimensional models was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with test samples at baseline and 18 months. The dimension scores were associated with a group of exogenous variables (SES, HIV-status, season, depression, perceived health, food aid, water collection), additionally indicating predictive, convergent and discriminant validities. Conclusions : FI and WI dimensions are sufficiently distinct to be characterized via separate indicators. These indicators are critical for identifying specific problematic insecurity aspects and for finding new targets to improve health and nutrition interventions.

Keywords: food insecurity; water insecurity; households; dimensions; measures (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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