Food insecurity and the double burden of malnutrition in Colombian rural households

Objective: This study aimed to examine in Colombian rural households the association between different severity levels of household food insecurity and the presence of the double burden of malnutrition (SCOWT), defined as the coexistence of a stunted child under 5 years of age and an overweight or obese (OWOB) mother. Design: A secondary data analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data from the Colombian National Nutritional Survey (ENSIN) 2015. Household food insecurity status was assessed by using the Latin-American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). The household SCOWT status (child stunting and OWOB mother) was determined using anthropometric data from a mother and her child. Setting: Rural Colombia. Participants: Totally, 2 center dot 350 mother-child pairs living in the same household. Results: Sixty-two per cent of the households were food-insecure and SCOWT was present in 7 center dot 8 % of the households. Moderate (OR: 2 center dot 39, 95 % CI (1 center dot 36, 4 center dot 21)) and severe (OR: 1 center dot 86, 95 % CI (1 center dot 10, 3 center dot 15)) food insecurity was associated with SCOWT in an unadjusted logistic regression. Only moderate food insecurity remained significantly associated with SCOWT in a multivariate logistic regression (adjusted OR: 2 center dot 41, 95 % CI (1 center dot 24, 4 center dot 68)). Conclusions: Colombian rural areas are not exempt from the worldwide concern of increasing OWOB rates while stunting is still persistent. These results highlight the need of implementing double-duty rural actions targeting the most vulnerable households to SCOWT, particularly in terms of overcoming food insecurity beyond hunger satisfaction to prevent all forms of malnutrition.