Food Insecurity in Informal Settlements in Lilongwe Malawi

Chilanga, Emmanuel; Riley, Liam; Ngwira, Juliana; Chalinda, Chisomo; Masitala, Lameck

doi:10.2307/j.ctvh8qz6k

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…foods from transnational and local industries and street vendors [25][26][27] . These effects are exacerbated by limited time and space for cooking healthy meals and possibly perceptions of large weight as a sign of affluence 28,29 .…”

Section: Letter Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Bixby¹,

Bentham²,

Zeng³

et al. 2019

Nature

533

218

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Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults NCD risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-risC)* Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2. This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3-6. Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low-and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low-and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low-and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. Being underweight or overweight can lead to adverse health outcomes. BMI-a measure of underweight and overweight-is rising in most countries 2. It is commonly stated that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the worldwide rise in BMI because diet and lifestyle in cities lead to adiposity 3-6. However, such statements are typically based on cross-sectional comparisons in one or a small number of countries. Only a few studies have analysed how BMI is changing over time in rural and urban areas. The majority have been in one country, over short durations, and/or in one sex and narrow age groups. The few studies that covered more than one country 7-12 used at most a few dozen data sources and hence could not systematically estimate trends, and focused primarily on women of child-bearing age. Data on how BMI in rural and urban populations is changing are needed to plan interventions that address underweight and overweight. Here, we report on mean BMI in rural and urban areas of 200 countries and territories from 1985 to 2017. We used 2,009 population-based studies of human anthropometry conducted in 190 countries (Extended Data Fig. 1), with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults aged 18 years and older. We excluded data based on self-reported height and weight because they are subject to bias. For each sex, we used a Bay...

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Section: Letter Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Bixby¹,

Bentham²,

Zeng³

et al. 2019

Nature

533

218

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…On the contrary, a majority of the labour force (70 percent) in Lilongwe relies on the informal sector (NSO, 2015). Chilanga and Riley. (2017) found that about 40 percent of people working in the informal sector in Lilongwe engage in micro and small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only three available studies report findings for urban food security in Malawi (Mvula and Chiweza, 2013;Chilanga and Riley, 2017;Riley and Chilanga, 2018). None determined how severe food insecurity was or identified the most vulnerable groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How food insecure are residents in Malawi’s major cities?

Mkusa

Hendriks

2021

Development Southern Africa

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Increasing urbanisation could pose significant food insecurity challenges in Africa, yet little has been researched regarding food insecurity in urban Africa. This study compared the levels and severity of food insecurity in Malawi's four major cities using data from Malawi's fourth Integrated Household Survey (2016/17). Urban food insecurity was found to be relatively low and less severe in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba compared to published rural statistics. Lilongwe had the highest level of food insecurity. The majority of households experienced seasonal food insecurity four months of the year and spent threequarters of their budget on food. Poor households with uneducated male heads with a high number of dependents, few income sources were most likely to experience food insecurity.Interventions to improve the availability and accessibility of livelihood options for urban households would improve food security

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“…About half (54%) had purchased food at supermarkets (54%), but only 25% purchased food at a supermarket weekly or daily. A study of informal settlements in Lilongwe found even higher rates of patronage of street vendors: all households had purchased food from sellers at least once per week in the previous year and 45% of households averaged five times per week (Chilanga et al, 2017). There appear to be strong linkages between informality, poverty and foodborne illness risk in Malawian cities.…”

Section: Food Safety In Mzuzu's Food Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accessibility of Sanitary Facilities Among Food Sellers in African Secondary Cities: Implications for Food Safety and Urban Planning Policies

Chilanga

Riley²

2022

Transforming Urban Food Systems in Secondary Cities in Africa

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Foodborne diseases are a major public health problem in African cities. Residents of secondary cities are often more at risk due to relatively low capacity for municipalities to provide hygiene infrastructure and to enforce food safety regulations. This study aimed to explore underlying factors that are associated with hygienic practices among food traders in Mzuzu, Malawi and Dschang, Cameroon. A multistage cross-sectional study design was conducted to sample 497 food traders in Mzuzu and 848 traders in Dschang. A questionnaire was administered to obtain data related to food safety practices, knowledge and sociodemographic characteristics of participants. Problems revealed by the survey included a lack of the following: knowledge about food safety regulations; toilet and hand washing facilities; waste bins and health inspections. The study suggests poor compliance of food hygiene practices among food traders. It highlights the lack of adequate action by the municipal government in educating food traders and enforcing food safety regulations.

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Food Insecurity in Informal Settlements in Lilongwe Malawi

Cited by 13 publications

References 27 publications

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

How food insecure are residents in Malawi’s major cities?

Accessibility of Sanitary Facilities Among Food Sellers in African Secondary Cities: Implications for Food Safety and Urban Planning Policies

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