Aims: Food insecurity is a lack of assured access to sufficient nutritious food. We aimed to investigate the demographic and socio‐economic determinants of food insecurity in New Zealand and whether these determinants vary between males and females.
Methods: We used data from the longitudinal Survey of Families, Income and Employment (SoFIE) (n=18,950). Respondents were classified as food insecure if, in the past 12 months, they had to use special food grants or food banks, been forced to buy cheaper food to pay for other things, or had to go without fresh fruit and vegetables often. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association of demographic and socio‐economic factors on food insecurity. Models were repeated stratifying by males and females.
Results: More than 15% of the SoFIE population in NZ were food insecure in 2004/05. The prevalence of food insecurity was much greater in females (19%) than males (12%). The adjusted odds of food insecurity was significantly higher in females compared to males (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.5–1.8). In univariate analyses, food insecurity was associated with sole parenthood, unmarried status, younger age groups, Māori and Pacific ethnicity, worse self‐rated health status, renting, being unemployed and lower socioeconomic status. Income was the strongest predictor of food insecurity in multivariate modelling (OR 4.9, 95%CI 4.0–5.9 for lowest household income quintile versus highest). The associations of demographic and socioeconomic factors with food insecurity were similar in males and females.
Conclusions: Food insecurity is a timely and relevant issue, as it affects a significant number of New Zealanders. Targeted policy interventions aimed at increasing money available in households are needed.
Diarrhea and acute bronchitis are among the top 10 diagnoses among children 84 months and younger in the southern Intibucá region of Honduras. Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly of iron and zinc, likely contribute to this high rate of morbidity. This study investigated the relationship between micronutrient supplementation and diarrhea and acute bronchitis morbidity. Children (n=2,686) from six municipalities in Intibucá, ages 6–60 months at study initiation, received the supplement Chispuditos® daily for 12 months. Chispuditos is a corn‐ and soy‐based beverage fortified with 21 vitamins/minerals including iron (12 mg/serving) and zinc (9 mg/serving). Number of clinic visits at two main health centers with a diagnosis of diarrhea or acute bronchitis was collected for all children under 84 months. Monthly incidences of diarrhea and acute bronchitis were reduced by 46% (p<.01) and 21% (p<.20) respectively for the intervention period compared to the 12 months prior. Monthly incidences of diarrhea and acute bronchitis were reduced by 78% (p<.01) and 73% (p<.01) respectively for the intervention period compared to children 0–84 months in the same region that did not receive Chispuditos. These results support a relationship between micronutrient supplementation and decreased diarrhea and acute bronchitis morbidity in a community based setting. This study was funded by the Mathile Institute.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.