The Problems of Undernutrition
R. J. Jarrett in Nutrition and Disease, 1979
In the developing world, food shortage is chronic and is often acute during times of poor harvests. In a dietary survey of 352 pregnant women in India it was found that the mean daily intake was 1,402 kcalories and 38 g protein. Many women in the lower socio-economic groups enter pregnancy after a childhood in which undernutrition and recurrent illnesses are common, so that they have not obtained the optimum in growth and physiological development. Thus, the mean body weight in 498 non-pregnant Indian women in the low socioeconomic group was found to be only 42.4 kg. Moreover, on their marginal nutrition many pregnant women gain very little weight. In one study of 48 pregnant women, the mean gain in body weight from the twelfth to the fortieth week of pregnancy was 6.02 kg. In another study of 130 pregnant women, almost half failed to gain weight between the thirty-second and thirty-sixth weeks and thereafter. Besides poor weight gain many show clinical signs of nutritional deficiency. In a nutritional survey carried out amongst 198 pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy, 44 per cent showed clinical signs of Vitamin B complex deficiency, 9.5 per cent had oedema of the legs and 14.5 per cent showed signs of lack of Vitamin A. The mean birth weight in such women from the lower socio-economic group was 2,778 g as compared to 3,055 g in the higher social group.
Health impact of disasters on older people
Emily Ying Yang Chan in Disaster Public Health and Older People, 2019
A famine is an extreme form of food crisis. A food crisis is a “combination of drought, rising food prices, poverty, natural disasters, conflicts, disease, and complex emergencies” (World Vision Hong Kong, n.d.). When food crises continue and reach certain measures of mortality, malnutrition and hunger, they can develop into a famine. According to the United Nations (2011), a location is defined as being affected by famine when “at least 20% of households in an area face extreme food shortages with a limited ability to cope; acute malnutrition rates exceed 30%, and the death rate exceeds two persons per day per 10,000 persons”. It involves a regional failure of food production or supply sufficient to cause a marked increase in disease and mortality due to a severe lack of nutrition and necessitates emergency intervention, usually at an international level (Cox, 1981). Famines can result from natural disasters. However, because many underlying causes of famines are related to food distribution, management of food prices and regulation of other economic activities, they are now considered as man-made disasters. In addition, famines are often accompanied by an economic and social collapse of the community.
Trauma: A global perspective
Ian Greaves, Keith Porter, Chris Wright in Trauma Care Pre-Hospital Manual, 2018
Besides the long-term effects on climate change through the production of greenhouse gases, the global dependency on oil, especially in the Western world and growing Asian economies, will have major effects in the short term. It has been estimated that the world has utilised about one third of its oil reserves and that the demand for crude oil has permanently surpassed the supply, which means that the price of oil will not consistently decrease in the future (15). The search for alternative fuels has in the last few years focused on bio-fuels made of corn, wheat, soybean or palm oil, for example. This has led to acute food shortages with the risk of food-related unrest in at least 33 countries, as estimated by the former World Bank President Robert Zoellick (16). In the United States, one-third of the corn produced is already used for the production of ethanol, and 75% of the increase in food prices is caused by favouring bio-fuel production (17). Michael Delgado, an agricultural economist from the World Bank, has estimated that the global food reserves per capita are lower than at any time during the last 35 years (18). In addition to food shortages caused by diverting arable land from food production to fuel production, droughts in Australia for example, and speculation in the global food markets have increased the price of food and led to violent uprisings in numerous countries, including Egypt, the Philippines, Yemen, Haiti, Cameroon, Mozambique, Morocco and Indonesia (19).
Pandemic-related parental distress: examining associations with family meals and child feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic
Published in Children's Health Care, 2022
Caroline E. West, Clarissa V. Shields, Kara V. Hultstrand, Miranda L. Frank, Amy F. Sato
While elevated parental distress has been prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a need to examine the association between parental distress and negative impact due to the pandemic, and aspects of the home environment such as food-related parenting practices. It is especially crucial to understand family meals and child feeding practices, given the potential for changes in the quantity or types of food available in the household or changes in household mealtime routines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, there may be food excess due to stockpiling food or food unavailability due to food shortages, increased food costs, and limited financial resources (Nicola et al., 2020). This may, in turn, be linked to parental distress or changes in eating and feeding patterns within the household. Many individuals are more likely to snack or engage in irregular eating patterns in response to stress or boredom (Ruiz-Roso et al., 2020) or due to additional chances to snack at home (Gallo, Gallo, Young, Moritz, & Akison, 2020). Therefore, there remains a need to understand the impact of distress related to COVID-19 and food-related aspects of the home environment.
Understanding the Experiences of Food Insecurity in Older Adult Households
Published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2023
Ronald H. Aday, J. Brandon Wallace, Sandra C. Jones, Amber R. Pogacsnik, Kimberly F. Leifker, Eva W. Kibe-Pea
Research has found that food shortages are more likely to exist for those with low levels of family contact/assistance and social capital (Keller et al., 2007; Whitley, 2013). Older adults who are social isolated are particularly vulnerable to loneliness, a declining interest in activities, motivation, and widespread apathy in. Using the social ecological model for predicting food insecurity, Goldberg & Mawn (2014) documented that living alone or residing in remote areas without access to transportation can also significantly increase lack of food access. Having a strong social support network will be key for those isolated frail adults with who may need grocery shopping assistance and meal preparation. Programming that places more emphasis on community partnerships and intergenerational connections will be necessary to ensure a satisfactory level of food security for those aging in place.
Prevalence and Factors Associated with Food Insecurity among Older Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review
Published in Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, 2021
Sanjoy Saha, Andrew Behnke, Wilna Oldewage-Theron, Noshin Mubtasim, Makenzie Miller
Food insecurity primarily manifests at the household level as a result of limited access to financial resources and food.1,65 Food shortages in the households lead to adopting different coping strategies, such as reducing food intake, selling household assets, and obtaining a loan or food from neighbors or relatives.63,66 These strategies exacerbate household food insecurity and negatively affect household members’ nutritional status in the short or long term.66 This systematic review shows that the most used coping strategies adopted by older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa included skipping meals or reducing food intake quantities, as well as borrowing food from relatives or neighbors.34,39,40,42 Food insecure older adults often confront difficulties managing existing chronic diseases, such as hypertension and may struggle to maintain good health due to a lack of finances, a lack of access to other resources, competing for household priorities, and physical disability.12,66
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