The Prevalence of Food Insecurity and the Principal Determinants in Tubah Health District, North West Cameron
Emmanuel Ngoinangeh Fointama
Department of Public Health, The University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, Bamenda, Cameroon and The Regional Delegation of Public Health, Bamenda, North West Region, Cameroon.
Samje Moses
Department of Public Health, The University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, Bamenda, Cameroon.
Mary Chia Garba *
Department of Public Health, The University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, Bamenda, Cameroon.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: Determine the prevalence of food insecurity and identify the principal determinants of household food security in Tubah Health District.
Study design: The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey conducted in 6 communities in Bambui Health Area of Tubah Health District.
Place and Duration of Study: Bambui health area in Tubah Health District of the North West region of Cameroon. The study lasted 6 months, from February to June 2022.
Methodology: One hundred and eighty one (181) households were included in the survey. In each household the female head of the household was interviewed with the aid of a questionnaire, to gather subjective information about feeding practices in the household. A structured face to face questionnaire was used to collect information on 7-day dietary intake and 24-hour food recall. Food security was assessed using the Food Consumption Score (FCS) and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) as proxy indicators. Anthropometric measurements comprising weight, height and Mid upper arm circumference were obtained for infants under five years.
Results: Food insecurity was found to be 65.2% when the Food Consumption Score (FCS) was used as a proxy indicator and 64.6% when Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) was used as a proxy indicator. Household income was a significant predictor of FCS and HDDS, P =.05 and P =.001 respectively. Factors that negatively impacted the ability of households to meet their food needs were mainly high food prices (66.9%), insecurity (65.7%) and sickness related expenses (55.8%). The prevalence of stunting was 30.7%. There was a statistically significant association between stunting and food insecurity, ꭓ2 (1, N = 101) = 8.8 and P =.05.
Conclusion: Household food insecurity prevalence rate was high in this community and this could be related to the conflict which has led to many households losing their livelihoods and the reduced agricultural productivity.
Keywords: Food insecurity, stunting, food consumption score (FCS), ousehold dietary diversity score (HDDS)