Dietary diversity of formal and informal residents in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

BackgroundThis paper considers the question of dietary diversity as a proxy for nutrition insecurity in communities living in the inner city and the urban informal periphery in Johannesburg. It argues that the issue of nutrition insecurity demands urgent and immediate attention by policy makers.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was undertaken for households from urban informal (n = 195) and urban formal (n = 292) areas in Johannesburg, South Africa. Foods consumed by the respondents the previous day were used to calculate a Dietary Diversity Score; a score < 4 was considered low.ResultsStatistical comparisons of means between groups revealed that respondents from informal settlements consumed mostly cereals and meat/poultry/fish, while respondents in formal settlements consumed a more varied diet. Significantly more respondents living in informal settlements consumed a diet of low diversity (68.1%) versus those in formal settlements (15.4%). When grouped in quintiles, two-thirds of respondents from informal settlements fell in the lowest two, versus 15.4% living in formal settlements. Households who experienced periods of food shortages during the previous 12 months had a lower mean DDS than those from food secure households (4.00 ± 1.6 versus 4.36 ± 1.7; p = 0.026).ConclusionsRespondents in the informal settlements were more nutritionally vulnerable. Achieving nutrition security requires policies, strategies and plans to include specific nutrition considerations.

Cortical bone histomorphology of known‐age skeletons from the Kirsten collection, Stellenbosch university, South Africa

“…Fruit, vegetables, and offal from red meat hawker stands constituted major sources of the food in informal townships during the apartheid era (Karaan and Myburgh, 1992). A more recent study (Drimie et al, 2013) indicates that the diet in urban informal households consists mostly of cereals and meat/poultry/fish; dietary diversity is low. With increasing urbanization, food insecurity, and malnutrition continue to be of concern in South Africa (Battersby and McLachlan, 2013).…”

How Food Consumption Pattern and Dietary Diversity Influence Food Security: Evidence From Di Yogyakarta and East Nusa Tenggara

“…Food consumption pattern that meets nutrition needs and diversified is known as desirable dietary pattern. Diverse food can be the proxy to measure the quality of consumption and describe accessibility to food in the context of food security (Drimie et al, 2013). In line with Drimie et al (2013), dietary diversity is the predictor to analyse economic status and malnutrition, as well as food shock sensitivity; and it is relatively measurable (Headey and Ecker, 2013).…”

“…Diverse food can be the proxy to measure the quality of consumption and describe accessibility to food in the context of food security (Drimie et al, 2013). In line with Drimie et al (2013), dietary diversity is the predictor to analyse economic status and malnutrition, as well as food shock sensitivity; and it is relatively measurable (Headey and Ecker, 2013). Therefore, the measurement of dietary diversity can be an instrument to measure food and nutrition security (Thorne-Lyman et al, 2010).…”

Material Deprivation Affects High Sexual Risk Behavior among Young People in Urban Slums, South Africa

“…25 A large proportion of slum residents live without access to basic services. 18,[26][27][28] Both HIV prevalence and incidence is much higher in slum settings. One in five residents (21.6 %) are estimated to be living with HIV and just under a third of new infections nationally per year (29.1 %) occur in slum areas.…”