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Role of cash transfers in mitigating food insecurity in India during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study in the Bihar state

BMJ Open Makkar, S., Manivannan, J., Swaminathan, S., Travasso, S., John, A., Webb, P, Kurpad, A., Thomas, T., 2022-06-27
Article on the empirical evidence on the prevalence of food insecurity in Bihar state before and after lockdown, and whether the government’s policy of cash transfer moderated negative effects of food insecurity or not. A longitudinal study was conducted. A total of 1797 households were surveyed in survey 1, and about 52% were followed up in survey 2. Valid data for 859 households were considered for the analysis. Household food insecurity worsened considerably during lockdown, rising from 20% (95% CI 17.4 to 22.8) to 47% (95% CI 43.8 to 50.4) at the sample mean. Households experiencing negative income shocks were more likely to have been food insecure before the lockdown (adjusted OR 6.4, 95% CI 4.9 to 8.3). However, households that received cash transfers had lower odds of being food insecure once the lockdown was lifted (adjusted OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.99).These findings provide evidence on how the swift economic response to the pandemic crises using targeted income transfers was relatively successful in mitigating potentially deep impacts of food insecurity.
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  • COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Economic
  • Food Insecurity
  • Social Support and Protection
  • Asia
  • India
  • South Asia
  • Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
  • Households
  • Research
  • Article
  • Journal article

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Undernourished and overlooked: A global nutrition crisis in adolescent girls and women

  • Advocacy
  • Policy
  • Research
  • Report
  • Statistical Booklet
  • Video
  • Climate Shocks
  • COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Economic
  • Food Insecurity
  • Gender and/or Agency
  • Health
  • Nutrition
  • Other Crises
  • Social Support and Protection
  • Women and/or Girls
2023-3-7
UNICEF’s 2022 Flagship Child Nutrition Report on the latest data and evidence on the status, trends, and inequities in the nutritional status of adolescent girls and women. It sheds light on the barriers they face in accessing nutritious diets, utilizing essential nutrition services, and benefitting from positive care practices. The report calls on governments and partners to work together on ten key actions to transform the food, health, and the social protection systems that aim to improve access to nutritious diets and essential nutrition services, as well as to strengthen nutrition and care practices for adolescent girls and women, everywhere. The full report, executive summary, statistical booklet, and video are available. View Source

Asia and the Pacific regional overview of food security and nutrition 2022: Urban food systems and nutrition – Launch recording, Key messages & Full report

  • Policy
  • Research
  • Article
  • Press release
  • Report
  • Video
  • COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Economic
  • Food Insecurity
  • Health
  • Nutrition
  • Ukraine War
  • Women and/or Girls
2023-01-24
Press release on the launch and key messages of the fifth annual Asia-Pacific regional SOFI report. The report’s highlights capture the challenges and system-level determinants of unhealthy diets in urban areas, both regarding undernutrition and overweight. It presents, among others, data on food security and affordability and the state of progress on achieving the global nutrition targets. The findings profile various urban environments, interventions, experiences, and opportunities to innovate at multiple levels to transform urban areas into sustainable cities. A link to the report's virtual launch event is available including the recording, key messages, and full report. View Source

Impact on public health nutrition services due to COVID-19 pandemic in India: A scoping review of primary studies on health and social security determinants affecting the first 1000 days of life

  • Research
  • Article
  • Journal article
  • COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Food Insecurity
  • Gender and/or Agency
  • Health
  • Nutrition
  • Women and/or Girls
2022-10-27
Article on the impact of COVID-19 related pathways on the first thousand days of life in the Integrated Child Development Scheme and the public distribution ecosystem in India. Data sources: Using Cochrane guidelines, electronic databases, namely Google Scholar and PubMed-NCBI, were searched for evidence between 1 March 2020 and 1 May 2022. A total of 73 studies were identified in initial search; 20 met the inclusion criteria and, thus, were included in the research analysis. Primary studies were conducted throughout pan-India in rural, urban, and semi-urban areas to study the impact of COVID-19-related pathways on the first 1000 days of life. The impact of social security, food insecurity, service delivery, nutrition of pregnant and nursing mothers (P&NMs), and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) varied between geographies and within geographies. Most of the primary studies were conducted at small scale, while only three studies were pan-Indian. The majority of studies were conducted on the mental health of P&NMs and pre-natal and post-natal service delivery disruption. The paucity of the available literature highlights the need to undertake research on the impact of the COVID-19 -related pathways on 1000 days of life in India and worldwide. The best implementation practices were observed where cross-sectional programs were carried out in relation to health services and social security for P&NMs and children. View Source