Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys
Abstract Objective: To assess the degree to which cohabiting couples (men and women) in Cameroon responded differently to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and, where discordance exists, to test hypothesised drivers of difference. Design: This cross-sectional study employed descriptive statis...
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| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Public Health Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980025100578/type/journal_article |
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| author | Caroline E. Owens Zhenan An Craig Hadley |
| author_facet | Caroline E. Owens Zhenan An Craig Hadley |
| author_sort | Caroline E. Owens |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Abstract
Objective:
To assess the degree to which cohabiting couples (men and women) in Cameroon responded differently to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and, where discordance exists, to test hypothesised drivers of difference.
Design:
This cross-sectional study employed descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses using R.
Setting:
Nationally representative sample of cohabiting adults in Cameroon.
Participants:
2889 couples (male/female; 5778 total adults) from the Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey (2018) couples recode.
Results:
Food insecurity was more prevalent and reported with higher severity among men compared with women. Discordance in reported food insecurity was evident in 57–79 % of cohabiting couples in the dataset, depending on the measure used. Discordance was not clearly associated with household wealth. Further, among couples with discordant food insecurity experiences, men more often affirmed items that their partners did not affirm. Contrary to our hypotheses, items reflecting household food security did not show greater agreement among couples than did individual items. Of our hypothesised predictors, only current employment status among men was significantly associated with the difference in food security scores among couples.
Conclusions:
This study highlights the importance of examining intrahousehold differences in food security. Understanding how individuals within a household experience and perceive their food situation and the underlying factors driving disparities is crucial for improving the effectiveness of targeted food and nutrition policies.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-712b7d0528fd4f44b25e563f879a7517 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1368-9800 1475-2727 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Public Health Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-712b7d0528fd4f44b25e563f879a75172025-08-20T02:46:44ZengCambridge University PressPublic Health Nutrition1368-98001475-27272025-01-012810.1017/S1368980025100578Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health SurveysCaroline E. Owens0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7041-1671Zhenan An1Craig Hadley2Food is Medicine Institute, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USADepartment of Quantitative Theory and Methods, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USADepartment of Quantitative Theory and Methods, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA Abstract Objective: To assess the degree to which cohabiting couples (men and women) in Cameroon responded differently to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and, where discordance exists, to test hypothesised drivers of difference. Design: This cross-sectional study employed descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses using R. Setting: Nationally representative sample of cohabiting adults in Cameroon. Participants: 2889 couples (male/female; 5778 total adults) from the Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey (2018) couples recode. Results: Food insecurity was more prevalent and reported with higher severity among men compared with women. Discordance in reported food insecurity was evident in 57–79 % of cohabiting couples in the dataset, depending on the measure used. Discordance was not clearly associated with household wealth. Further, among couples with discordant food insecurity experiences, men more often affirmed items that their partners did not affirm. Contrary to our hypotheses, items reflecting household food security did not show greater agreement among couples than did individual items. Of our hypothesised predictors, only current employment status among men was significantly associated with the difference in food security scores among couples. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of examining intrahousehold differences in food security. Understanding how individuals within a household experience and perceive their food situation and the underlying factors driving disparities is crucial for improving the effectiveness of targeted food and nutrition policies. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980025100578/type/journal_articleFood securityGenderWealthUrbanicityHouseholds |
| spellingShingle | Caroline E. Owens Zhenan An Craig Hadley Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys Public Health Nutrition Food security Gender Wealth Urbanicity Households |
| title | Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_full | Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_fullStr | Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_full_unstemmed | Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_short | Discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in Cameroon: an examination of data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_sort | discordant experiences of food insecurity within households in cameroon an examination of data from the 2018 demographic and health surveys |
| topic | Food security Gender Wealth Urbanicity Households |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980025100578/type/journal_article |
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