Prevalence of food insecurity in households with children under 5 years of age in Ecuador: analysis of the national child malnutrition surveys
Yadira Alejandra Morejón-Terán, Samuel Durán-Agüero, Israel Ríos-Castillo, Sheila Maria Alvim Matos, Gabriela Rosero MoraAbstract
Objective:
To estimate the national prevalence and distribution of food insecurity (FI) among households with children younger than 5 years in Ecuador and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) using two consecutive nationally representative surveys.
Design:
This cross-sectional study employed descriptive statistics and Tobit regression models using STATA v17.
Setting:
We used secondary data from the National Survey on Child Malnutrition in Ecuador, including food security (FS) information for 2022–2023 and 2023–2024, to construct the prevalence time series.
Participants:
We analysed data from 19 187 households (22 260 children) surveyed in the first round and 20 186 households (23 187 children) surveyed in the second round.
Results:
FIES showed adequate reliability in both rounds (Rasch reliability 0·80 and 0·79). Seven of eight FIES items showed significant reductions between rounds. The prevalence of moderate-or-severe FI remained high, decreasing from 40·79 % in 2022–2023 to 39·18 % in 2023–2024 ( p = 0·239). Severe FI declined significantly from 4·83 % to 3·52 % ( p = 0·002). In both rounds, FI was more prevalent in rural areas, the Amazon region, priority territories, Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations and households experiencing poverty or unmet basic needs. In 2023–2024, FI was associated with priority area residence, Indigenous ethnicity, poverty due to unmet basic needs, older child age groups and stunting.
Conclusions:
Despite reductions in severe FI, nearly four in ten households with young children in Ecuador continue to experience moderate-or-severe FI, with persistent territorial, ethnic and socio-economic inequalities. Integrated policies linking FS, child nutrition and poverty reduction are needed.