BACKGROUND

In the Philippines, the prevalence of food insecurity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the nutritional status of communities nationwide. Urban areas in particular are vulnerable to the harmful effects of food insecurity, and the effects are extended and magnified when it comes to children.

This study aims to evaluate the coping strategies of households with children aged 0-10 years old in an urban poor community in Quezon City. In particular, the study will determine Coping Strategies Index (CSI) scores and the frequency of specific coping strategies used.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the coping strategies of 405 households with children in the community during the pandemic. Mothers or caregivers were given a survey inquiring about the sociodemographic data and CSI.

Sociodemographic profiling showed that the households generally belonged to class D and E (PhP 15,000 and below) income households (73.8%). The majority of the household heads (52.6%) have their highest educational attainment at the high school level. The majority (77.5%) of the households were categorized as having low CSI classification (90%CI: 73.9, 80.8). This could indicate that relief operations conducted in the community may have helped ease their food insecurity. Coping strategies that were most frequently employed by the households were depending on less preferred or more affordable food (74.8%), rationing money for prepared food (69.1%), and purchasing food on credit (58.5%).

Low CSI classification was noted, which may be due to increased adaptation to persistent food insecurity and the utilization of coping strategies not indicated in the questionnaire. Common coping strategies used by households include reliance on less favored or less costly food items, rationing resources for prepared food, and food on credit. It is recommended that the results collected be used to target food availability and accessibility interventions in the community.

Background: In the Philippines, the prevalence of food insecurity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the nutritional status of communities nationwide. Urban areas in particular are vulnerable to the harmful effects of food insecurity, and the effects are extended and magnified when it comes to children. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the coping strategies of households with children aged 0-10 years old in an urban poor community in Quezon City. In particular, the study will determine Coping Strategies Index (CSI) scores and the frequency of specific coping strategies used. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the coping strategies of 405 households with children in the community during the pandemic. Mothers or caregivers were given a survey inquiring about the sociodemographic data and CSI. Results: Sociodemographic profiling showed that the households generally belonged to class D and E (PhP 15,000 and below) income households (73.8%). The majority of the household heads (52.6%) have their highest educational attainment at the high school level. The majority (77.5%) of the households were categorized as having low CSI classification (90%CI: 73.9, 80.8). This could indicate that relief operations conducted in the community may have helped ease their food insecurity. Coping strategies that were most frequently employed by the households were depending on less preferred or more affordable food (74.8%), rationing money for prepared food (69.1%), and purchasing food on credit (58.5%). Conclusion Low CSI classification was noted, which may be due to increased adaptation to persistent food insecurity and the utilization of coping strategies not indicated in the questionnaire. Common coping strategies used by households include reliance on less favored or less costly food items, rationing resources for prepared food, and food on credit. It is recommended that the results collected be used to target food availability and accessibility interventions in the community.
Food Insecurity ; Adaptation, Psychological

Background: The low detection rate of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Malaysia remains a challenge in the effort to end TB by 2030. The collaboration between private and public health care facilities is essential in addressing this issue. As of now, no private-public health care collaborative program in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) screening exists in Malaysia. Aim: To determine the feasibility of a collaborative program between private general practitioners (GPs) and the public primary health clinics in PTB screening and to assess the yield of smearpositive PTB from this program. Methods: A prospective cohort study using convenient sampling was conducted involving GPs and public health clinics in the North-East District, Penang, from March 2018 to May 2019. In this study, GPs could direct all suspected PTB patients to perform a sputum acid fast bacilli (AFB) direct smear in any of the dedicated public primary health clinics. The satisfaction level of both the GPs and their patients were assessed using a self-administered client satisfaction questionnaire. IBM SPSS Statistical Software was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of a total of 31 patients who underwent the sputum investigation for PTB, one (3.2%) was diagnosed to have smear-positive PTB. Most of the patients (>90%) and GPs (66.7%) agreed to continue with this program in the future. Furthermore, most of the patients (>90%) were satisfied with the program structure. Conclusion: It is potentially feasible to involve GPs in combating TB. However, a more structured program addressing the identified issues is needed to make the collaborative program a success.
Food Insecurity ; Malaysia ; Adult ; Nutrition Survey

Food insecurity affects food intake, and it could prevent an individual from consuming enough nutritious food to support and maintain health. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence and factors influencing food insecurity among Malaysian households. In 2014, the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS) was carried out, and one of the components measured was food insecurity. Six out of sixteen questions from the food security core-module questionnaire were adopted and answered by 2962 adults. The results showed that about 25.0% adult experienced food quantity insufficiency, 25.5% had food variety insufficiency, 21.9% practised reduced size of the meal, and 15.2% skipped main meal due to lack of money to spend on. For the parents, 23.7% only rely on cheap food to feed children, and 20.8% could not afford to purchase various foods to feed their children. Location, strata, race, level of education, working status and household income shows significant difference while none of the nutritional status components found to be difference in all six parameters of food insecurity measured. Logistic regression with adjusted odds ratios discovered race, education level and household income were related to risk to all six parameters of food insecurity. In conclusion, food insecurity can be a serious problem in Malaysia. An effective and comprehensive effort by the government in terms of policy solution is required to increase education level and ensure an adequate income for every household. Therefore, future research should focus on some of those promising policy solutions and at the same time, study the other possible underlying factors that may lead to food insecurity.
Food Insecurity ; Malaysia ; Adult ; Nutrition Survey

Objective: Rural and urban differences affect food availability, accessibility, and sustainability; thus, it has a great impact on household food security and dietary diversity. The relationship between the human environment and other factors threatens different domains of food systems resulting in food security. The objective of this study is to determine significant differences between the prevalence of household food security and diet diversity between urban and rural communities in Occidental Mindoro. Specifically, to determine the pattern of usual food intake of preschool children between rural and urban communities Methods: This study utilized a comparative, cross-sectional, analytic study design in order to determine the prevalence of each variable of interest in the two study areas. Radimer-Cornell Tool was utilized to assess the food security status of the household while the FAO-Dietary Diversity Score Questionnaire was used to the diversity of diet among PSC. A total of 480 (rural: n=240; urban: n=240) preschool children were recruited to participate in this study. Ratio and proportion using the point and interval estimate were used to determine the prevalence in different areas, meanwhile, chi-square of homogeneity was used to determine significant difference in the two areas under study. Results: Food insecurity in rural communities was found to be at 56.25% (95% CI: 49.97% to 62.53%) while the prevalence in urban communities was 45.83% (95% CI: 39.53% to 52.14%). There was a significant difference in the prevalence of household food insecurity between rural and urban communities (p=0.0224). Meanwhile, the prevalence of less dietary diversity among preschool children in rural communities was 37.08% (95%: 30.97% to 43.19%) and 26.25% (CI: 20.68% to 31.82%) for urban communities. There was a significant difference in prevalence of low dietary diversity score among preschool children between rural and urban communities (p=0.0107). Conclusion There were significant differences in terms of household food insecurity and less diverse diet between two community settings. Higher prevalence in rural areas signifies that there is a need to prioritize these vulnerable communities in terms of hunger mitigation and nutrition programs. A combination of milk-rice-meat-fish was observed in the diet of preschool children for both communities however, higher prevalence of less dietary diversity was detected among rural communities.
Child ; Preschool ; Food Insecurity Diet

BACKGROUND: The health condition of old age is affected by various factors such as economic level, disease condition, and nutrition. With the aging population in Korea, the ratio of single-person households increased rapidly. Research on the health status and nutrition of the elderly in the single-person household is very insufficient. In this study, we compared the health and nutritional status of the elderly by the household type. METHODS: Data from the 2013 to 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. A total of 2,730 patients were classified into 2 groups (single-person, with family), and general, chronic disease, health behavior, nutrient intake, and food insecurity status were compared by the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Single-person households had a low economic and educational level and a higher percentage of women. In addition, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, myocardial infarction disease rate was significantly higher. Sing-person households answered that their subjective health status was bad, and their quality of life was low. As a result of analysis of the quality of the diet in the single-person, the intake of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin B2, niacin, and vitamin C was significantly lower. In particular, the intake of calcium was the most insufficient. Food insecurity has also been observed, including the inability to consume diverse and sufficient foods due to economic difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: More attention should be paid to the health of single-person households in elderly population and various policies should be prepared.
Aged ; Aging ; Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Chronic Disease ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Diet ; Dyslipidemias ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Food Supply ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Iron ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity ; Quality of Life ; Riboflavin ; Single Person ; Stroke

PURPOSE: This study examined dietary and health characteristics of the young-old and the old-old by food security status. METHODS: The study used data from the 6th (2013 ~ 2015) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study subjects consisted of 3,948 subjects, of whom 2,445 were the young-old (aged 65 to 74 years) and 1,503 were the old-old (aged 75 years and over). Food security status was evaluated using an 18-item questionnaire. Energy intake, nutrient densities, and prevalence of insufficient nutrient intake were assessed. Food intake was evaluated in terms of the number of food group servings. Dietary behaviors and health status were also assessed. RESULTS: The prevalence of food insecurity among the young-old and the old-old was 10.0% and 11.6%, respectively. Among the young-old, the food insecure group had a significantly higher level of prevalence of insufficient intake for all the nutrients (protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorous, and iron) assessed in this study compared with the food secure group. In case of the old-old, significant differences were found only for four nutrients (protein, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus) in the prevalence of insufficient nutrient intake between the food secure and the food insecure groups. Kinds of food groups with significantly different numbers of servings by food security status were dissimilar between the two age groups. In both the age groups, the food insecure group consumed a significantly lower number of servings in meat·fish·eggs·legumes and fruits than the food secure group; grains and vegetables intake in the young-old and oils·sweets intake in the old-old differed in the number of servings by food security status. Among the young-old, the prevalence of chewing difficulties in the food insecure group was significantly higher than that of the food secure group, while among the old-old, no significant differences were found by food security status. CONCLUSION: Dietary and health characteristics of the young-old and the old-old differed by food security status. Such differences were more apparent in the young-old than the old-old. Therefore, it is suggested that food and nutrition assistant programs should be designed with consideration of the differences.
Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Diet ; Eating ; Energy Intake ; Food Supply ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Mastication ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Riboflavin ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and determinants of folic acid supplementation among women referred to community health centers. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 325 women referred to community health centers. The subjects were selected from 8 community health centers, using a stratified sampling technique. Data regarding demographics, socioeconomic status, obstetrics, folic acid supplementation status, and household food security status were obtained via questionnaires. The data was analyzed in SPSS v22. RESULTS: The prevalence of folic acid supplementation both before and during pregnancy was 54.5%. The results of the study showed that folic acid supplementation had a significant positive association with education level (odds ratio [OR],0 .441; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.199–0.977; P<0.05), being employed (OR, 0.353; 95% CI, 0.148–0.840; P<0.05), and planned pregnancy (OR, 18.113; 95% CI, 7.371–44.51; P<0.001). However, other variables, including age, husband's age, husband's education and employment status, the number of prior pregnancies, economic satisfaction, and household food security, were nonsignificant factors affecting folic acid supplementation. CONCLUSION: Women with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to take folic acid supplements, and more effort should be made to increase their awareness of the importance of supplementation. Unplanned pregnancy is another strong risk factor for not supplementing with folic acid, and thus should be avoided.
Community Health Centers ; Contraception ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Demography ; Education ; Employment ; Family Characteristics ; Family Planning Services ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Food Supply ; Humans ; Obstetrics ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Unplanned ; Prevalence ; Referral and Consultation ; Risk Factors ; Social Class

PURPOSE: North Koreans could be at higher risk for their bone health because of previous periods of severe famine and the continuing low availability of food. This study determined the bone mineral density (BMD) status and its relationship with dietary behaviors and nutrient intake of North Korean refugees (NKR) in South Korea (SK). METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed 110 female NKR from a NORNS cohort of a non-probability sample of adult NKR in Seoul. BMD examined by DEXA was used to divide participants into the normal group (NG) and the non-normal group (NNG) according to the WHO guideline. A self-administered questionnaire included questions on age, the socioeconomic situation in North Korea (NK) and SK, the food security in NK and SK, and the health behaviors, dietary behaviors, and food frequency questionnaire administered in SK. A one-day 24-hr recall was conducted and the results were analyzed by using CanPro. SPSS was used to analyze whether BMD and related dietary behaviors and nutrient intakes differed according to the groups. RESULTS: NG (62.7%) was significantly younger and had a lower abdominal obesity score than NNG (p < 0.001). While 14.5% of NG reported experiencing menopause, all of NNG reported experiencing menopause. The NG more frequently consumed the dairy group of foods (9.6 times a week) than did the NNG (4.8 times a week) after the statistics were adjusted for age (p < 0.007). The NG consumed significantly more animal protein and animal calcium than did the NNG (p = 0.01, p = 0.009, respectively). Calcium intake was low with 49.3% of NG, and 78.0% of the NNG reported consuming calcium lower than the estimated average requirement. Only calcium showed an index of nutrient quality lower than one in both groups. CONCLUSION: These results showed that NKR women and possibly all North Korean women are at high risk for bone health and they consumed low levels of bone-related nutrients, and this should be considered for the nutrition policy for NKR and North Korea.
Adult ; Animals ; Bone Density ; Calcium ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Diet ; Female ; Food Supply ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea ; Menopause ; Nutrition Policy ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Refugees ; Seoul ; Starvation

Objective: Based on data related to arsenic contents in paddy rice, as part of the food safety monitoring programs in 2017, to discuss and explore the application of spatial analysis used for food safety risk assessment. Methods: One province was chosen to study the spatial visualization, spatial point model estimation, and kernel density estimation. Moran's I statistic of spatial autocorrelation methods was used to analyze the spatial distribution at the county level. Results: Data concerning the spatial point model estimation showed that the spatial distribution of pollution appeared relatively dispersive. From the kernel density estimation, we found that the hot spots of pollution were mainly located in the central and eastern regions. The global Moran's I values appeared as 0.11 which presented low spatial aggregation to the rice arsenic contamination and with statistically significant differences. One "high-high" and two typical "low-low" clustering were seen in this study. Conclusion: Results from our study provided good visual demonstration, identification of pollution distribution rules, hot spots and aggregation areas for research on the distribution of food pollutants. Spatial statistics can provide technical support for the implementation of issue-based monitoring programs.
Arsenic/adverse effects* ; China ; Cluster Analysis ; Food Contamination ; Food Supply ; Humans ; Spatial Analysis