Household Deprivation and Multi-dimensional Poverty Relationship to Nutritional Status and Food Intake of Children 6 to 13 years in Rural Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Children are at risk of being multi-dimensionally poor, which compromises their development. Household deprivation  and multi-dimensional poverty of households with children in rural Queenstown, Eastern Cape, were determined  through quantitative, descriptive research. A random sampling technique was used to recruit participants for structured  interviews. Children were weighed and measured, and their anthropometric status determined. A low AMPI score  indicated that 82.4 per cent of households were acutely multi-dimensionally poor. Although social grants are the buffer  for food security, they do not provide nutrition security. Of the 200 children aged six to 13 years, 10.5 per cent were  overweight and 3.5 per cent were obese. The role of poverty in food nutrition security is complex, as both over-nutrition  and under-nutrition can be present in food-insecure households.