The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger’s recent food crisis

Hampshire, K.; Casiday, R.; Kilpatrick, K.; Panter-Brick, C.

Abstract

In 2004-05, Niger suffered a food crisis during which global attention focused on high levels of acute malnutrition among children. In response, decentralised emergency nutrition programmes were introduced into much of southern Niger. Child malnutrition, however, is a chronic problem and its links with food production and household food security are complex. This qualitative, anthropological study investigates pathways by which children are rendered vulnerable in the context of a nutritional 'emergency'. It focuses on household-level decisions that determine resource allocation and childcare practices in order to explain why practices apparently detrimental to children's health persist. Risk aversion, the need to maintain self-identity and status, and constrained decision making result in a failure to invest extra necessary resources in growth-faltering children. Understanding and responding to the social context of child malnutrition will help humanitarian workers to integrate their efforts more effectively with longer-term development programmes aimed at improving livelihood security.

Citation

Hampshire, K., Casiday, R., Kilpatrick, K., & Panter-Brick, C. (2009). The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger’s recent food crisis. Disasters, 33(1), 132-151. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01066.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: May 30, 2008
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2009
• Deposit Date: Sep 23, 2008
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 9, 2010
• Journal: Disasters
• Print ISSN: 0361-3666
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-7717
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 132-151
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01066.x
• Keywords: Famine, Food security, Gender, Humanitarian crisis, Intra-household allocation, Social networks.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1553944