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. 2021 Oct;24(14):4417-4429.
doi: 10.1017/S1368980021002895. Epub 2021 Jul 5.

Food insecurity and the double burden of malnutrition in Colombian rural households

Ana María Sansón-Rosas  1 , Jennifer Bernal-Rivas  2 , Stan Kubow  1 , Andrés Suarez-Molina  3 , Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez  1
Affiliations

Food insecurity and the double burden of malnutrition in Colombian rural households

Ana María Sansón-Rosas et al. Public Health Nutr. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine in Colombian rural households the association between different severity levels of household food insecurity and the presence of the double burden of malnutrition (SCOWT), defined as the coexistence of a stunted child under 5 years of age and an overweight or obese (OWOB) mother.

Design: A secondary data analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data from the Colombian National Nutritional Survey (ENSIN) 2015. Household food insecurity status was assessed by using the Latin-American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). The household SCOWT status (child stunting and OWOB mother) was determined using anthropometric data from a mother and her child.

Setting: Rural Colombia.

Participants: Totally, 2·350 mother-child pairs living in the same household.

Results: Sixty-two per cent of the households were food-insecure and SCOWT was present in 7·8 % of the households. Moderate (OR: 2·39, 95 % CI (1·36, 4·21)) and severe (OR: 1·86, 95 % CI (1·10, 3·15)) food insecurity was associated with SCOWT in an unadjusted logistic regression. Only moderate food insecurity remained significantly associated with SCOWT in a multivariate logistic regression (adjusted OR: 2·41, 95 % CI (1·24, 4·68)).

Conclusions: Colombian rural areas are not exempt from the worldwide concern of increasing OWOB rates while stunting is still persistent. These results highlight the need of implementing double-duty rural actions targeting the most vulnerable households to SCOWT, particularly in terms of overcoming food insecurity beyond hunger satisfaction to prevent all forms of malnutrition.

Keywords: Colombia; Double burden of malnutrition; Food insecurity; Obesity; Overweight; Rural areas; Stunting.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Maternal OWOB, child stunting and SCOWT by food insecurity severity levels. OWOB, overweight or obesity; SCOWT, stunted child and overweight or obese mother. Chi-squared test: P <0·05
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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