Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 20;43(1):222.
doi: 10.1186/s41043-024-00700-6.

Food insecurity and weight loss during wartime: a mixed-design study from the Gaza Strip

Asem Alnabih  1   2 , Nour-Alhuda Alnabeh  3 , Yousef Aljeesh  4 , Belal Aldabbour  5
Affiliations

Food insecurity and weight loss during wartime: a mixed-design study from the Gaza Strip

Asem Alnabih et al. J Health Popul Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Food insecurity is an important aspect of human suffering during wartime. Besides its ferocity, the Gaza conflict of 2023-2024 has been marked by severe food and medication shortages that exacerbated the human toll and worsened the suffering of the population.

Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed methods study that in April 2024 collected quantitative and qualitative data to assess food insecurity and malnutrition among residents of the Northern part of the Gaza Strip during the first seven months of the war. Quantitative data assessed weight loss among participants as a marker of starvation. Qualitative interviews evaluated food availability, food variability, and changing eating habits. Demographics were represented as counts and percentages. Weight was reported as mean ± SD. The Spearman Correlation Coefficient evaluated potential correlations of weight loss with sex, place of residence, and age. Statistical significance was set at a p-value less than 0.05.

Results: 497 participants were recruited, including 330 males (66.4%) and 167 females (33.6%). The age range was (13-83 years). The mean baseline weight was 84.94 kg ± 20.06, with a weight range (35-180 kg). In April 2024, the mean weight had dropped to 66.22 kg ± 14.34, representing an average decline of 18.72 kg (new weight range 28-142 kg). Age was associated with a weak positive correlation with weight loss (r = .204, p = .000). Qualitative interviews with 95 breadwinners or homemakers revealed a high prevalence of hunger and severe shortages in food quantity, quality, and variability. Physical and financial barriers significantly impacted food sourcing. Also, due to food shortages, most participants reported high consumption of edible wild plants and unconventional types of flour such as corn flour or grounded animal feed.

Conclusions: The study demonstrated high levels of weight loss and marked food insecurity in the Northern Gaza Strip during the conflict. The quantitative and qualitative food shortages outlined in this study present a risk for a host of potentially serious and irreversible future complications.

Keywords: Acute malnutrition; Armed conflict; Body weight changes; Food insecurity; Gaza strip; Wartime starvation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the Islamic University of Gaza. Participants provided written consent, and confidentiality was maintained throughout data collection and processing. Consent for publication: All authors approved the final manuscript before publication. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
legend: Box plot representation of baseline and current weights (kg)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fiandrino S, Dowd C, Martini G, Mejova Y, Omodei E, Paolotti D et al. Impact of food-related conflicts on self-reported food insecurity. Front Sustainable Food Syst. 2023;7.
    1. Food Insecurity. A Public Health Issue. Public Health Rep. 2016;131(5):655–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Myers CA. Understanding the importance of Food Insecurity among populations with diabetes. J Diabetes Complications. 2019;33(4):340–1. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Iannotti L, Kleban E, Fracassi P, Oenema S, Lutter C. Evidence for policies and practices to address global food insecurity. Annu Rev Public Health. 2024;45(1):375–400. - PubMed
    1. Milà-Villarroel R, Homs C, Ngo J, Martín J, Vidal M, Serra-Majem L, Famine. Hunger, and undernourishment. In: Caballero B, Finglas PM, Toldrá F, editors. Encyclopedia of Food and Health. Oxford: Academic; 2016. pp. 581–8.