Differences in food insecurity between adults and children in Zimbabwe

Food insecurity is a serious challenge facing millions of households across Africa. Within these households, distinguishing the incidence of food insecurity between adults and children is often difficult because most surveys rely on the reports of adults. In this paper, we address this shortcoming of previous work by using a survey from over 6000 households in Zimbabwe where interviews were conducted with both an adult caregiver and a child. Using two measures of food insecurity, we find that reports of adults and children differ within households with lower reports of food insecurity among children, with children in the youngest age groups particularly being protected from food shortages. An exception to this general rule, though, is in better-off households where children are often more likely to be food insecure than adults. Findings also demonstrate the need for multiple measures to comprehensively capture the full picture of food insecurity in the household.

Research highlights► Food insecurity reports of adults and children differ within households in Zimbabwe. ► Children in the youngest age groups are particularly protected from food shortages. ► Orphans appear to enjoy less protection than non-orphans.