Assessment of Household Food Insecurity During a Medical Mission to Chincha, Peru

Abstract

Introduction Food insecurity directly influences health outcomes and is an important consideration for medical missions seeking to address chronic disease, particularly those serving disaster-prone communities. The region of Peru in which we held an inaugural mission is vulnerable to developing food insecurity following natural disasters. We, therefore, sought to evaluate food insecurity to understand the community’s needs and inform future public health efforts. Methods In this cross-sectional pilot study, a convenience sample representing the households of patients attending a student-run health fair at the community medical center in Chincha, Peru was assessed for food insecurity. An adult female (n = 30) of each randomly selected family attending the fair was asked to complete the Household Food Security Survey (HFSS) developed by the US Department of Agriculture. The survey items were aggregated into a single, continuous food security scale reflecting the severity of hunger within a household. Results Two-thirds of respondents (n = 20) acknowledged anxiety about having enough food at home over the past 12 months, making it the most common concern. Nearly three in five respondents were concerned about their ability to provide a balanced diet. We found that 16.7% of all households were food insecure with severe hunger, 26.7% were food insecure with moderate hunger, 30% were food insecure without hunger, and 26.7% were food secure. Conclusion Nearly three-quarters of families attending our clinic experience some degree of food insecurity. Families with children were disproportionately affected. The high levels of food insecurity many years after a natural disaster support the development of future social programs such as food pantries. We intend to continue our partnership in Chincha and perform the HFSS survey on a periodic basis to monitor hunger.