La Niña weather impacts dietary patterns and dietary diversity among children in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

Objective: In 2011–2012, severe El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions (La Niña) led to massive flooding and temporarily displacement in the Peruvian Amazon. Our aims were to examine the impact of this ENSO exposure on child diets, in particular: (1) frequency of food consumption patterns, (2) the amount of food consumed (g/d), (3) dietary diversity (DD), (4) consumption of donated foods, among children aged 9–36 months living in the outskirts of City of Iquitos in the Amazonian Peru. Design: This was a longitudinal study that used quantitative 24-h recall dietary data collection from children aged 9–36 months from 2010 to 2014 as part of the MAL-ED birth cohort study. Setting: Iquitos, Loreto, Peru. Participants: Two hundred and fifty-two mother–child dyads. Results: The frequency of grains, rice, dairy and sugar in meals reduced by 5–7 %, while the frequency of plantain in meals increased by 24 % after adjusting for covariates. ENSO exposure reduced girl’s intake of plantains and sugar. Despite seasonal fluctuations in the availability of fruits, vegetables and fish, DD remained constant across seasons and as children aged. However, DD was significantly reduced under moderate La Niña conditions by 0·32 (P < 0·05) food groups. Adaptive social strategies such as consumption of donated foods were significantly higher among households with girls. Conclusions: This is the first empirical study to show differential effect of the ENSO on the dietary patterns of children, highlighting differences by gender. Public health nutrition programmes should be climate- and gender-sensitive in their efforts to safeguard the diets of vulnerable populations.

Declining diversity of wild-caught species puts dietary nutrient supplies at risk

“…In contrast to subgroups most reliant on fish, people who consume fish less often depend on other foods to meet nutritional needs and, consequently, are less likely to be affected by changing nutrient supplies if nutritionally comparable substitutes are accessible. In Loreto, as in many other regions dependent on small-scale fisheries, chicken is increasingly becoming the main substitute for fish ( 16 , 21 , 47 ). Yet, dietary shifts to chicken, with lower iron and omega-3 fatty acid content, could also reduce nutrients supplied relative to diets based on wild fish ( 14 ).…”

“…However, the degree to which these strategies will work depends on improving access to animal substitutes and, in particular, increasing their affordability in relation to fish and other wild foods. Both declines in biomass and diversity will most likely affect population segments that are the least capable of responding ( 34 , 47 ).…”

The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella Surveillance Study in Peru

“…The typical diet among children living in urban and periurban Iquitos is based around rice, grains, potatoes, and plantains. The most commonly consumed animal-source proteins are eggs, dairy, and poultry, followed by fish and pork [ 10 , 11 ]. Due to Loreto's limited agricultural production, food availability, distribution, and diversity are strongly sensitive to climate, both environmental and political [ 10 ].…”

“…The most commonly consumed animal-source proteins are eggs, dairy, and poultry, followed by fish and pork [ 10 , 11 ]. Due to Loreto's limited agricultural production, food availability, distribution, and diversity are strongly sensitive to climate, both environmental and political [ 10 ]. Coping strategies during times of food scarcity include informal food-sharing practices.…”

Post-traumatic stress disorder, food insecurity, and social capital after the 2017 coastal El Niño flooding among mothers from Piura, Peru: A mixed method study

“…PTSD is not part of post-disaster assessments in spite of recommendations from a study after the 2007 Ica earthquake [ 20 ]. Similarly, changes on dietary patterns among mothers, and infants were observed after the 1998 El Niño event in the northern coast and the 2011 La Niña-related flooding in the Peruvian Amazon [ 21 , 22 ], and food donations are part of humanitarian relief in disasters. However, food security evaluations are not part of post-disaster surveillance guidelines, which can be critical in vulnerable regions such as Piura where 10–20% of children already presented stunting in the last decade [ 19 , 23 ].…”