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Food Security and Dietary Quality in African Slums

Author

Listed:
  • Rosina Wanyama

    (Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Goettingen, Platz der Goettinger Sieben 5, 37073 Goettingen, Germany)

  • Theda Gödecke

    (Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Goettingen, Platz der Goettinger Sieben 5, 37073 Goettingen, Germany)

  • Matin Qaim

    (Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Goettingen, Platz der Goettinger Sieben 5, 37073 Goettingen, Germany)

Abstract

More than half of Africa’s urban population lives in slums. Little is known about their nutritional situation, as slums are often underrepresented in standard surveys. This study analyzes issues of food security and dietary quality in East African slums using household-level and individual-level data collected in Nairobi and Kampala. The household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) is used as a subjective measure of food security. Moreover, calorie availability and different dietary diversity scores are calculated based on 7-day food consumption recalls at the household level and 24-h dietary recalls at the individual level. The large majority of the slum households are food insecure and suffer from low dietary quality. Rates of undernourishment are considerably higher than what country-level statistics report, suggesting that slum dwellers deserve more explicit attention in initiatives to improve nutrition. Household-level indicators are significantly correlated with individual-level indicators for women and children. This means that household-level data, which are easier to collect, can proxy for individual nutrition up to a certain extent when individual-level data are unavailable. Regression models show that household income is one of the main factors explaining dietary patterns. Hence, facilitating access to lucrative employment is an important entry point for improving nutrition in slums.

Suggested Citation

  • Rosina Wanyama & Theda Gödecke & Matin Qaim, 2019. "Food Security and Dietary Quality in African Slums," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:5999-:d:281167
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rosina Wanyama & Theda Gödecke & Christine G. K. Chege & Matin Qaim, 2019. "How important are supermarkets for the diets of the urban poor in Africa?," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(6), pages 1339-1353, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Haruna Sekabira & Shamim Nalunga & Yves Didier Umwungerimwiza & Lydia Nazziwa & Stanley Peter Ddungu, 2021. "Household Farm Production Diversity and Micronutrient Intake: Where Are the Linkages? Panel Data Evidence from Uganda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-21, April.
    2. MacTavish, Robert & Bixby, Honor & Cavanaugh, Alicia & Agyei-Mensah, Samuel & Bawah, Ayaga & Owusu, George & Ezzati, Majid & Arku, Raphael & Robinson, Brian & Schmidt, Alexandra M. & Baumgartner, Jill, 2023. "Identifying deprived “slum” neighbourhoods in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area of Ghana using census and remote sensing data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    3. Christine G. Kiria Chege & Rosina Wanyama & Mark Lundy & Wilson Nguru & Matthias Jäger, 2021. "Does Retail Food Diversity in Urban Food Environments Influence Consumer Diets?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-15, July.
    4. Haruna Sekabira & Shamim Nalunga, 2020. "Farm Production Diversity: Is It Important for Dietary Diversity? Panel Data Evidence from Uganda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Sekabira, Haruna & Nalunga, Shamim & Umwungerimwiza, Yves Didier & Nazziwa, Lydia & Ddungu, Stanley Peter, 2021. "Household Farm Production Diversity and Micronutrient Intake: Where Are the Linkages? Panel Data Evidence from Uganda," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315013, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Hang Ren & Wei Guo & Zhenke Zhang & Leonard Musyoka Kisovi & Priyanko Das, 2020. "Population Density and Spatial Patterns of Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-14, September.

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    Keywords

    diets; food security; slums; Africa;
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