Health

Household food insecurity and adolescent health risk behaviours New evidence from low- and middle-income countries

Background

Food security and adolescent health are two critical global health challenges. Household food insecurity is a situation of instable access to enough and nutritious food for an active and healthy life. Household food insecurity predicts lower education and nutritional outcomes for children, and it is associated with a range of health risk behaviours in adolescents. However, this evidence comes only from the United States, and the relation between household food insecurity and adolescent risk behaviours in adolescents (e.g. smoking, drinking and engaging in violent activities when drunk, consumption of illegal drugs, unprotected sex, consumption of junk foods, total number of health risk behaviours) in low- and middle-income countries is under-investigated. This a critical gap for policy-making in contexts where food insecurity is highest globally and the largest share of the world’s adolescents live, especially in light of the epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases. Evidence on the predictive role of food insecurity on adolescent health behaviours may support social protection or health interventions that can foster healthy behaviours that start in adolescence and continue over the lifecourse.

This is a critical gap in the literature and a publication stemming from the research would be well-received in key global health journals (e.g. J of Adolescent Health; Social Science and Medicine, etc).

Aims

• Revise the key literature on household food insecurity and adolescent health. • Construct the dataset and present descriptive statistics.
• Investigate the linkages between household food insecurity and adolescent non communicable risk (NCD) behaviours in low and middle income countries
• Identify areas where more research / data collection is needed
• Policy implications for NCD prevention

Proposed methods

Data come from Young Lives, a longitudinal study of child poverty conducted in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru and Vietnam. Data are publicly archived and available to use for free at the UK National Data Repository (http://www.younglives.org.uk/). The survey follows two cohorts of children and their families for 15 years (2012-2017). Household level data include a module on household food security (as measured by a commonly-used scale), as well as demographics and socio-economic characteristics. Child-level data on health risk behaviours include: smoking, drinking, drugs, knowledge about STDs and unprotected sex (as assessed

Summer Research Project Proposal

through a self-administered questionnaire). These were collected at age 15 and 19 years for the older cohort and at age 15 years for the Younger Cohort. Rich child-level data are also collected. The student will create the dataset (to be decided whether to use only one round of data from the four countries or even better to use longitudinal data), will present descriptive statistics on household food insecurity and prevalence of adolescent risk behaviours and later will proceed to conduct multivariate analysis to investigate the relation of interest.

Skills required

It is required to use a statistical programme (preferred: Stata) to undertake operations of construction of(possibly) a longitudinal and multicountry dataset and understand intermediate concepts of statistics and epidemiology. Previous experience in applied statistical skills would be preferable.

Outcomes

Students will gain knowledge and experience in:

• Statistical analysis of a longitudinal, multi-country cohort study
• Formulate research hypotheses and test them empirically
• Identify relevant literature, critically assess it, and synthesise in a literature review section
• Write-up for publication in a public health/global health/ nutrition journal • In-depth knowledge of the following literatures: adolescent health; food security; global health

Supervisor

• Name: Dr Elisabetta Aurino
• Position: Imperial College Research Fellow
• Email: e.aurino@imperial.ac.uk
• Phone

Co-supervisors:

• Name: Prof Marisa Miraldo
• Position:Professor of Health Economics
• Email:m.miraldo@imperial.ac.uk

• Name: Chris Millett
• Position: Professor of Public Health
• Email: c.millett@imperial.ac.uk

Please detail any costs to be incurred and the amount you plan to claim from the School of Public Health: