Impact of a Comprehensive Intervention on Food Security in Poor Families of Central Highlands of Peru

Type Journal Article - Food and Public Health
Title Impact of a Comprehensive Intervention on Food Security in Poor Families of Central Highlands of Peru
Author(s)
Volume 5
Issue 6
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2015
Page numbers 213-219
URL http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.fph.20150506.02.html
Abstract
Background: Being child nutritional status the impact variable, food and nutritional security elements included interactions between social, demographic, productive, and health conditions among others and the comprehensive intervention assessed changes in availability, access, utilization and stability over time. Aims: Assess the impact of a comprehensive intervention on food and nutritional security in families with children less than 5 years in Andean communities of central Peru. Method: A pre experimental pre-post study was realized. The first measurement corresponded to baseline and the second to the end line, after 3 intervention years. The information was processed in SPSS V.16.0. Results: Before the intervention stunting and anemia prevalence were 45.57 and 61.38%, respectively, after 3 years decreased by 6.37 and 8.71%, respectively. Diarrhea was reduced from 39.3 to 33.8%. Families implemented organic gardens, greenhouses and raising guinea pigs, improving their feeding practices, health and housing conditions. Conclusions: the comprehensive intervention allowed to reduce the prevalence of chronic malnutrition, anemia and diarrhea in children under 5 in 6 districts of Junin as well as to improvement other indicators of health and personal hygiene, housing conditions and other aspects related to family food production. Beneficiary families have increased consumption and food production (home gardens, greenhouses, and breeding of guinea pig and poultry) and improved kitchen conditions and housing. The logical framework responds to their purposes and participatory process was the essence of its success.

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