The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries
Abstract Background Food insecurity adversely affects human health, which means food security and nutrition are crucial to improving people’s health outcomes. Both food insecurity and health outcomes are the policy and agenda of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is a lack...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15244-3 |
| _version_ | 1827982462241734656 |
|---|---|
| author | Sisay Demissew Beyene |
| author_facet | Sisay Demissew Beyene |
| author_sort | Sisay Demissew Beyene |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Food insecurity adversely affects human health, which means food security and nutrition are crucial to improving people’s health outcomes. Both food insecurity and health outcomes are the policy and agenda of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is a lack of macro-level empirical studies (Macro-level study means studies at the broadest level using variables that represent a given country or the whole population of a country or economy as a whole. For example, if the urban population (% of the total population) of XYZ country is 30%, it is used as a proxy variable to represent represent country's urbanization level. Empirical study implies studies that employ the econometrics method, which is the application of math and statistics.) concerning the relationship between food insecurity and health outcomes in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries though the region is highly affected by food insecurity and its related health problems. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of food insecurity on life expectancy and infant mortality in SSA countries. Methods The study was conducted for the whole population of 31 sampled SSA countries selected based on data availability. The study uses secondary data collected online from the databases of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and the World Bank (WB). The study uses yearly balanced data from 2001 to 2018. This study employs a multicountry panel data analysis and several estimation techniques; it employs Driscoll-Kraay standard errors (DKSE), a generalized method of momentum (GMM), fixed effects (FE), and the Granger causality test. Results A 1% increment in people’s prevalence for undernourishment reduces their life expectancy by 0.00348 percentage points (PPs). However, life expectancy rises by 0.00317 PPs with every 1% increase in average dietary energy supply. A 1% rise in the prevalence of undernourishment increases infant mortality by 0.0119 PPs. However, a 1% increment in average dietary energy supply reduces infant mortality by 0.0139 PPs. Conclusions Food insecurity harms the health status of SSA countries, but food security impacts in the reverse direction. This implies that to meet SDG 3.2, SSA should ensure food security. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:34:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f05aba205905416d984eeaf0eaceefbb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:34:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-f05aba205905416d984eeaf0eaceefbb2023-03-22T12:36:52ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582023-02-0123112210.1186/s12889-023-15244-3The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countriesSisay Demissew Beyene0College of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, Arsi UniversityAbstract Background Food insecurity adversely affects human health, which means food security and nutrition are crucial to improving people’s health outcomes. Both food insecurity and health outcomes are the policy and agenda of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is a lack of macro-level empirical studies (Macro-level study means studies at the broadest level using variables that represent a given country or the whole population of a country or economy as a whole. For example, if the urban population (% of the total population) of XYZ country is 30%, it is used as a proxy variable to represent represent country's urbanization level. Empirical study implies studies that employ the econometrics method, which is the application of math and statistics.) concerning the relationship between food insecurity and health outcomes in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries though the region is highly affected by food insecurity and its related health problems. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of food insecurity on life expectancy and infant mortality in SSA countries. Methods The study was conducted for the whole population of 31 sampled SSA countries selected based on data availability. The study uses secondary data collected online from the databases of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and the World Bank (WB). The study uses yearly balanced data from 2001 to 2018. This study employs a multicountry panel data analysis and several estimation techniques; it employs Driscoll-Kraay standard errors (DKSE), a generalized method of momentum (GMM), fixed effects (FE), and the Granger causality test. Results A 1% increment in people’s prevalence for undernourishment reduces their life expectancy by 0.00348 percentage points (PPs). However, life expectancy rises by 0.00317 PPs with every 1% increase in average dietary energy supply. A 1% rise in the prevalence of undernourishment increases infant mortality by 0.0119 PPs. However, a 1% increment in average dietary energy supply reduces infant mortality by 0.0139 PPs. Conclusions Food insecurity harms the health status of SSA countries, but food security impacts in the reverse direction. This implies that to meet SDG 3.2, SSA should ensure food security.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15244-3Food insecurityLife expectancyInfant mortalityPanel data estimationsSSA countries |
| spellingShingle | Sisay Demissew Beyene The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries BMC Public Health Food insecurity Life expectancy Infant mortality Panel data estimations SSA countries |
| title | The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full | The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_fullStr | The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_short | The impact of food insecurity on health outcomes: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_sort | impact of food insecurity on health outcomes empirical evidence from sub saharan african countries |
| topic | Food insecurity Life expectancy Infant mortality Panel data estimations SSA countries |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15244-3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sisaydemissewbeyene theimpactoffoodinsecurityonhealthoutcomesempiricalevidencefromsubsaharanafricancountries AT sisaydemissewbeyene impactoffoodinsecurityonhealthoutcomesempiricalevidencefromsubsaharanafricancountries |