A biocultural examination of home food production and child growth in highland Peru

Abstract

ObjectivesChronic malnutrition remains a persistent global health issue. This mixed methods investigation in rural Peru examines the role of home food production (HFP) in reducing child malnutrition by testing the following hypotheses: (a) higher HFP will be associated with higher infant z‐scores than those with less HFP and (b) infants with higher HFP will exhibit improved longitudinal growth outcomes across 6 months.MethodsEthnographic methods include semi‐structured interviews and participant observation. A household survey and anthropometric data were collected twice, from 86 infants under of 24 months old. A HFP index (HFI) was generated based on reports of animals for meat consumption, eggs, milk, and agricultural products for home consumption. Kruskal‐Wallis tests were used to examine patterns of HFI and infant anthropometrics. Multivariate regressions were used to examine the relationships between HFP and infant height for age (HAZ), weight for age (WAZ), and triceps skinfold for age (TSAZ) in both rounds and 6‐month change between rounds (6MΔ).ResultsThere were no relationships between HFI and infant z‐scores in round one, however, HFI was significantly positively related to HAZ (B = 0.091,P < .039) in round two and with 6MΔin HAZ (B = 0.09,P < .047). HFI did not predict WAZ or TSAZ in either round.ConclusionsHFP represents an important influence of infant growth in Nuñoa, likely through nutritional improvement due to increased availability of animal‐sourced foods and through contribution to household economy and maternal empowerment.

Human biology and the study of precarity: How the intersection of uncertainty and inequality is taking us to new extremes

“…Further, consistent income and food sources as well as the fact that animals, especially cows, are an important form of wealth that can be sold for cash, mean that these families are better able to avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of unexpected events such as serious illness or injury (Leatherman, 2005). When the data set used in the aforementioned analyses was tested for the effects of food security measured using a modified version of the USDA's food insecurity and hunger module designed for and tested in Peru (Vargas & Penny, 2010), food insecurity was not predictive of any measures of child growth (unpublished) in contrast to measures of home food production (Hoke, 2017(Hoke, , 2020. A home food production score based on the number of different food products that were produced in a household was significantly predictive of infant growth across the approximately six-month study period (Hoke, 2020).…”

“…When the data set used in the aforementioned analyses was tested for the effects of food security measured using a modified version of the USDA's food insecurity and hunger module designed for and tested in Peru (Vargas & Penny, 2010), food insecurity was not predictive of any measures of child growth (unpublished) in contrast to measures of home food production (Hoke, 2017(Hoke, , 2020. A home food production score based on the number of different food products that were produced in a household was significantly predictive of infant growth across the approximately six-month study period (Hoke, 2020). These findings suggest that there is something important about home food production that is not captured by measuring food security.…”

“…Recent work has illustrated the importance of home food production and the benefits of dairying for child growth and health (Hoke, 2017(Hoke, , 2020Hoke & Leatherman, 2019). Ethnographic work related to dairying and home food production suggests that at least part of the benefit of these efforts is the consistency of these resources (Hoke, 2020). Specifically, participation in the dairying industry as a means of generating income also means that there is a regularly available, nutrient-dense food that can help sustain the family when other sources are unavailable (Hoke, 2020).…”

“…Ethnographic work related to dairying and home food production suggests that at least part of the benefit of these efforts is the consistency of these resources (Hoke, 2020). Specifically, participation in the dairying industry as a means of generating income also means that there is a regularly available, nutrient-dense food that can help sustain the family when other sources are unavailable (Hoke, 2020). Further, consistent income and food sources as well as the fact that animals, especially cows, are an important form of wealth that can be sold for cash, mean that these families are better able to avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of unexpected events such as serious illness or injury (Leatherman, 2005).…”

The now and future of human biology at the extremes: An introduction to the special issue

“…Beall showed further inter-population variation in adaptation to the extremes by comparing Native high-altitude populations of Tibet and the Andes to Indigenous groups of the Ethiopian plateau (Beall, 2007). High altitude research by human biologists over the years exemplifies the progress and shifting perspectives of doing work in a traditionally defined extreme environment, including factors like poverty and market integration as variables influencing adaptive processes (Hoke, 2017(Hoke, , 2020.…”