PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Household food security, feeding practices, dietary diversity and coping strategies to household food insecurity are largely interconnected. Using a cross sectional study approach involving 162 mothers and care givers of children 0-36 months of age in Kole district of northern Uganda, this study examined the household food security status, child dietary diversity and household coping strategies. The study revealed that a slight majority of the households (55%) were food secure although with a low level of child dietary diversity experienced (68.1% for children 6-23 months age group and 55.3% for 24-36 months age group). We found that starch-based foods derived from cereals, roots and tubers were the most predominantly used food group in child feeding (82%), with limited consumption of other essential food groups, notably fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products (18% combined). Additionally, only 57% of children 0 to 6 months old were receiving exclusive breastfeeding, and the introduction of complementary foods is often delayed and not well planned for those above 6 months of age. Results also showed that a wide range of coping strategies are employed however the major ones were, reliance on less preferred food (54.9%), limiting portions of meals (35.2%), reducing number of meals taken in a day (29%), and gathering wild fruits and harvesting immature crops (29.6%). It was observed that household food security is a strong determinant of child dietary diversity, may influence feeding practices and the range of coping strategies applicable to households when they experience food insecurity. Furthermore, nutritional education, household size and livelihood diversity play a significant role in determining household food security status, child dietary diversity and coping with food insecurity within rural households. In conclusion, addressing household food security, and coping strategies can play an important role in improving child feeding practices and dietary diversity in rural communities.
摘要：
家庭粮食安全,喂养实践，饮食多样性和家庭粮食不安全的应对策略在很大程度上是相互关联的。使用横断面研究方法，涉及乌干达北部科尔区0-36个月大的儿童的162名母亲和护理人员，这项研究调查了家庭粮食安全状况，儿童饮食多样性与家庭应对策略。研究表明，尽管儿童饮食多样性水平较低，但大多数家庭（55％）都有粮食安全（6-23个月大的儿童为68.1％，24-36个月大的儿童为55.3％）。我们发现来自谷物的淀粉食品，根和块茎是儿童喂养中最主要的食物组(82%)，由于其他必需食物类别的消费有限，尤其是水果,蔬菜,肉类和乳制品（合计18%）。此外,只有57%的0至6个月大的儿童接受纯母乳喂养，补充食品的引入往往被推迟，并且对6个月以上的人没有很好的计划。结果还表明，采用了广泛的应对策略，但主要的策略是，对不太喜欢的食物的依赖(54.9%)，限制膳食部分(35.2%)，减少一天的进餐次数(29%)，采集野生水果和收获未成熟作物(29.6%)。据观察，家庭粮食安全是儿童饮食多样性的重要决定因素，当家庭遇到粮食不安全时，可能会影响喂养方式和适用于家庭的应对策略范围。此外，营养教育,家庭规模和生计多样性在决定家庭粮食安全状况方面发挥着重要作用，儿童饮食多样性和应对农村家庭粮食不安全问题。总之,解决家庭粮食安全问题，和应对策略可以在改善农村社区儿童喂养方式和饮食多样性方面发挥重要作用。
