Determinants of diet quality among rural households in an intervention zone of Grande Anse, Haiti

Elise Pauzé, Malek Batal, Yvens Philizaire, Rosanne Blanchet and Dia Sanou ()
Additional contact information
Elise Pauzé: University of Ottawa
Malek Batal: University of Montréal
Yvens Philizaire: Université d’État d’Haiti
Rosanne Blanchet: University of Ottawa
Dia Sanou: University of Ottawa

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2016, vol. 8, issue 6, No 8, 1123-1134

Abstract: Abstract In Haiti, nutrient deficiencies and stunting are major public health concerns. These health problems are caused by poor access and consumption of nutrient-rich foods, among other factors. The aim of this study was to assess the diet quality of rural Haitian households and identify its socioeconomic determinants. In August–September 2012, female caregivers from 529 rural households from the Department of Grande Anse participated in a cross-sectional survey. Collected data included household food production activities and socioeconomic characteristics. Diet quality was assessed using the Household Dietary Diversity Score. Its determinants were identified using multiple linear regression analyses. Results revealed that many households consumed oil/fats, condiments/beverages/spices, roots/tubers, and cereals, whereas few households consumed animal-based foods such as meats/organs, dairy products and eggs. Among household-level determinants, the number of adults per household, land ownership, practice of livestock rearing, number of meals consumed by children, use of latrines and accessibility of the dwelling location perceived as difficult were all associated with higher household dietary diversity. Among individual-level variables, respondent participation in petty commerce and practice of agriculture as main occupation, in addition to increased level of education were positively associated with household dietary diversity. In sum, determinants of diet quality were multidimensional and were associated with various factors including socio-economic status, household demographics, and physical environment. Moreover, diet quality is concurrently linked with household- and individual-level determinants. This highlights the need for multisectoral and multilevel interventions to improve household diet quality in Haiti.

Keywords: Dietary diversity; Diet quality; Food security; Haiti; HDDS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12571-016-0615-5 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:8:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1007_s12571-016-0615-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ulture/journal/12571

DOI: 10.1007/s12571-016-0615-5

Access Statistics for this article

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food is currently edited by R.N. Strange

More articles in Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food from Springer, The International Society for Plant Pathology
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().