Boston College School of Social Work, McGuinn Hall, Room 311, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2020 Feb 4;20(1):175. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-8298-4.
Food insecurity is widely prevalent in certain sections of society in low and middle-income countries. The United Nations has challenged all member countries to eliminate hunger for all people by 2030. This study examines the prevalence and correlates of household food insecurity among women, especially Dalit women of reproductive age in Nepal.
Data came from 2016 Nepal Demographic Health Survey, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey that included 12,862 women between 15 and 49 years of age of which 12% were Dalit. Descriptive analysis was used to assess the prevalence of household food insecurity while logistic regression examined the relationship between women's ethnicity and the risk of food insecurity after accounting for demographic, economic, cultural, and geo-ecological characteristics.
About 56% of all women and 76% of Dalit women had experienced food insecurity. Ethnicity is strongly related to food insecurity. Dalit women were most likely to be food insecure, even after accounting for factors such as education and wealth. They were 82, 85, 89 and 92% more vulnerable to food insecurity than Muslims, Brahmin/Chhetri, Terai Indigenous, and Hill Indigenous populations, respectively. Education was a protective factor-women with secondary education (6th to 10th grade) were 39% less likely to be food insecure compared to their counterparts without education. With a more than 10th grade education, women were 2.27 times more likely to be food secure compared to their counterparts without education. Marriage was also protective. Economically, household wealth is inversely correlated with food insecurity. Finally, residence in the Mid-Western, Far-Western and Central Development regions was correlated with food insecurity.
To reduce food insecurity in Nepal, interventions should focus on improving women's education and wealth, especially among Dalit and those residing in the Far- and Mid-Western regions.
在中低收入国家的某些社会群体中，粮食不安全问题普遍存在。联合国已向所有成员国发出挑战，要求所有成员国在 2030 年前消除所有人的饥饿。本研究考察了尼泊尔育龄期妇女，特别是达利特妇女家庭粮食不安全的流行程度和相关因素。
数据来自 2016 年尼泊尔人口与健康调查，这是一项横断面、全国代表性调查，包括 12862 名 15 至 49 岁的妇女，其中 12%为达利特人。描述性分析用于评估家庭粮食不安全的流行程度，而逻辑回归则用于在考虑人口、经济、文化和地理生态特征后，检验妇女族裔与粮食不安全风险之间的关系。
约 56%的妇女和 76%的达利特妇女经历过粮食不安全。族裔与粮食不安全密切相关。达利特妇女最有可能处于粮食不安全状态，即使在考虑了教育和财富等因素之后也是如此。与穆斯林、婆罗门/切特里、特莱土著和丘陵土著人口相比，她们分别更容易遭受粮食不安全的影响，风险比分别为 82%、85%、89%和 92%。教育是一个保护因素——接受过中等教育（6 至 10 年级）的妇女与没有接受过教育的妇女相比，粮食不安全的可能性低 39%。接受过高等教育的妇女与没有接受过教育的妇女相比，粮食安全的可能性高 2.27 倍。婚姻也具有保护作用。从经济角度来看，家庭财富与粮食不安全呈负相关。最后，居住在中西部、远西部和中部发展区与粮食不安全有关。
为了减少尼泊尔的粮食不安全，干预措施应侧重于提高妇女的教育水平和财富，特别是在达利特人和居住在远西部和中西部地区的妇女中。
