Is Food Insecurity More Severe In South Asia Or Sub Saharan Africa A Comparative Analysis Using Household Expenditure Survey Data

Author : Ekta Amarnani
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (11 download)

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Download or read book Predictors of Food Insecurity in the Global Youth written by Ekta Amarnani and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "It is widely accepted that food security is closely related to income. Youth (15-24 year olds) are more susceptible to income volatility, lower income, and unemployment; therefore, it is important to understand the extent and significance of income-related food insecurity inequalities in this age group and how it compares to adults (25-65 year olds). Our study objectives were to determine the prevalence of food insecurity among the global youth, to investigate income-related inequalities in youth food security on a region-by-region basis, and to decompose these inequalities into constituent predictors. This cross-sectional study design uses data from the 2014 Gallup World Poll, which is administered in over 150 countries and includes nationally representative samples of the population 15 years and older. Food security status was assessed using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale, developed and validated worldwide by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Logistic regressions were used to compute odds ratios (OR) for youth food insecurity. Income-related inequalities in food insecurity were calculated using concentration indices, on relative and absolute scales (W and ACI respectively), which were further decomposed into constituent predictors. Logistic regressions, concentration indices, and decompositions were conducted and compared for each of the World Bank regions, using a statistical significance level of p-value ≤ 0.05. Globally, youth had lower odds of being food insecure than adults, however, great heterogeneity was found between regions. No significant differences in food insecurity odds by age group were found in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) (OR 1.089) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (OR 1.055). Youth were less likely than adults to be food insecure in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) (OR 0.897), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) (OR 0.777), the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) (OR 0.736) and South Asia (SA) (OR 0.792). Concentration indices showed significant income-related inequalities in food security in all regions, meaning that globally, the poorer accounted for a greater share of the food insecure population. ECA showed the greatest degree of income-related food insecurity inequality (W= -0.446); the least inequality was found in SA (W= -0.387). When separated by age groups, in all regions except SA, household income was less closely associated with food security outcome in youth than in adults. The extent and significance of differences in income-related food insecurity inequalities between youth and adults varied substantially by region, ranging from 0.020 (South Asia) to 0.195 (Europe and Central Asia). Results from the decomposition analysis showed that income (median contribution 12.60% (youth); 14.98% (adults)) and education (median contribution 9.44% (youth); 17.80% (adults)) contributed the greatest to income-inequalities across all regions. Gender, marital status, and employment status contributed the least to inequalities. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to explore the food security status of youth on a global scale. The findings demonstrate that for youth, education discrepancies contribute the greatest to widening income-related inequalities in food insecurity prevalence. This study emphasizes the need for youth-specific policies that address food insecurity beyond income. The results of the study establish a need for further research exploring what mechanisms play a role in protecting youth against food insecurity. " --