HOUSEHOLD SHOCKS AND COPING STRATEGIES IN RURAL AND PERI-URBAN SOUTH AFRICA: BASELINE DATA FROM THE SIZE STUDY IN KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA

The incidence and impact of a range of household shocks are investigated in a survey of households with children in 24 communities in peri-urban and rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The results highlight the importance of health shocks among households in a high HIV prevalence context. Economic shocks, in particular unexpected price increments for basic necessities, are widely reported and shown to have moderate to severe self-rated impacts with possible long-term cumulative, community-wide effects. Behaviour-based coping responses were the most common, especially reduced consumption and spending, which has the potential for negative impacts on the health developmental and well-being of children. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.