Improving household food security in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: a comparative analysis of four interventions

Doocy, Shannon; Emerson, Jillian; Colantouni, Elizabeth; Strong, Johnathan; Mansen, Kimberly; Caulfield, Laura E.; Klemm, Rolf; Brye, Laura; Funna, Sonya; Nzanzu, Jean-Pierre; Musa, Espoir; Rocha, Jozimo Santos; Menakuntuala, Joseph

doi:10.1007/s12571-018-0808-1

Cited by 18 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The extremely resource-limited context may have been an important factor contributing to the contrary findings. The results of the parent study found that stunting prevalence ranged from 55 to 70% among children in intervention group households and 47% of households were severely food insecure at endline, making this a particularly nutritionally deprived group [30,48]. In such a food insecure environment, opportunities to improve dietary diversity are limited, and differences in dietary diversity among participants with higher levels of mental health symptoms compared to those with less severe symptoms may be due to other underlying or modifying factors, such as social support and work burden.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present study is a sub-study of a larger, quasiexperimental evaluation of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) food assistance program called Jenga Jamaa II [30]. Jenga Jamaa II was designed to improve household food security and child nutrition in Uvira and Fizi territories in South Kivu through four distinct nutrition-specific and nutritionsensitive interventions, and was implemented by the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and World Vision International from 2011 to 2016.…”

Section: Parent Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data were collected via eight cross-sectional surveys occurring in August/September and February/March of each year to account for seasonal variation in food security. More details related to the parent study can be found elsewhere [30].…”

Section: Parent Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental health symptoms and their relations with dietary diversity and nutritional status among mothers of young children in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Emerson

Caulfield

Kishimata³

et al. 2020

BMC Public Health

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Background: In developing countries, maternal mental health problems have been linked to sub-optimal child feeding practices and child underweight and stunting, but little is known about how maternal mental health is associated with mothers' own diets and nutritional status. The objective of the study was to investigate the association between mental health symptoms and diet and nutritional status of mothers of young children in South Kivu, DR Congo. Methods: Participants were 828 mothers of young children enrolled in a larger, quasi-experimental study evaluating a multi-year food security and nutrition project. The present analysis was conducted with cross-sectional data collected from 2015 to 2016. We assessed symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), using a four-point Likert scale. Mean scale scores were calculated ranging from one to four. A variable was created for high distress (participants scoring in the upper quartile of both measures). Dietary diversity scores were calculated from the number of food groups (range zero to ten) consumed the previous day, identified from an open recall. Nutritional status was measured by body mass index (BMI) and underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m 2 , or mid-upper arm circumference < 23 cm for pregnant women). Bivariate and multivariate (adjusting for parent study intervention group, education, age, health, parity, livelihoods zone, and territory of origin) regression analyses were conducted. Results: Maternal mental health measures were positively and statistically significantly associated with higher dietary diversity scores in adjusted analyses (HSCL-25: ß= 0.18, p = 0.002, HTQ: ß= 0.12, p = 0.029, High Distress: ß= 0.47, p < 0.001). Mental health symptoms were not significantly associated with BMI (HSCL-25: ß = − 0.04, p = 0.824; HTQ: ß = 0.02, p = 0.913; High distress: ß= − 0.02, p = 0.938) or underweight (HSCL 25: OR = 0.91, p = 0.640; HTQ: OR = 1.03, p = 0.866; High distress: OR = 0.78, p = 0.489). Conclusions: More severe maternal mental health symptoms were associated with higher dietary diversity but not nutritional status, and the reasons for these findings are not clear from available data. More research is needed to identify underlying factors that could influence mental health symptomatology and diet quality among food insecure and extremely resource-limited populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Parent Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental health symptoms and their relations with dietary diversity and nutritional status among mothers of young children in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Emerson

Caulfield

Kishimata³

et al. 2020

BMC Public Health

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“…Additional findings, including a comparison of all interventions, are presented elsewhere, along with more detailed information about overall study methods and statistical analyses. 19 , 20 Here we summarize the methods relevant to the current research, as well as information specific to the FFS analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Security and Nutrition Outcomes of Farmer Field Schools in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Doocy

Cohen

Emerson

et al. 2017

Glob Health Sci Pract

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“…Various strategies have been designed and implemented at different levels in order to correct this situation. Food assistance strategies supported by governments or international organizations have been useful to address urgent issues at specific moments [15,16], but generally, these actions have not solved the structural problems behind poverty, malnutrition or hunger. An alternative solution is the one proposed by the second green revolution with the sustainable intensification of global agriculture, which would entail increasing productivity in poor countries through the use of modern technologies and practices [17,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing Food Security through Agroecological Technologies: The Implementation of the Biointensive Method in the Dry Corridor of Nicaragua

Fernández

Montero

Bermúdez³

2020

Sustainability

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In contrast with international food assistance programs, or with the new green revolution based on the sustainable intensification of agriculture, this work proposes an agroecological technology to overcome food insecurity problems in countries like Nicaragua, most especially in rural areas. In particular, it analyzes the effects of implementing the biointensive method—an agroecological food production initiative that is highly labor-intensive, but requires little land—in various communities of the Dry Corridor in Nicaragua. This project is the result of establishing an international consortium for development cooperation where grassroots communities played a prominent role. The main results are an improvement in local food security and a strengthening of the communities’ capacity to face major challenges arising from poverty and climate change, the effects of which are increasingly noticeable in Central America. The main weakness identified is that the necessary tropicalization of the method has not been sufficiently tested, for a two-year period is too short a time to transform the prevailing rural development dynamics significantly.

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Improving household food security in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: a comparative analysis of four interventions

Cited by 18 publications

References 33 publications

Mental health symptoms and their relations with dietary diversity and nutritional status among mothers of young children in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mental health symptoms and their relations with dietary diversity and nutritional status among mothers of young children in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Food Security and Nutrition Outcomes of Farmer Field Schools in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Advancing Food Security through Agroecological Technologies: The Implementation of the Biointensive Method in the Dry Corridor of Nicaragua

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