The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger’s recent food crisis

Hampshire, K.; Casiday, R.; Kilpatrick, K.; Panter-Brick, C.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01066.x

The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger’s recent food crisis

Hampshire, K.; Casiday, R.; Kilpatrick, K.; Panter-Brick, C.

Authors

Professor Kate Hampshire k.r.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Professor

R. Casiday

K. Kilpatrick

C. Panter-Brick

Abstract

In 2004-05, Niger suffered a food crisis during which global attention focused on high levels of acute malnutrition among children. In response, decentralised emergency nutrition programmes were introduced into much of southern Niger. Child malnutrition, however, is a chronic problem and its links with food production and household food security are complex. This qualitative, anthropological study investigates pathways by which children are rendered vulnerable in the context of a nutritional 'emergency'. It focuses on household-level decisions that determine resource allocation and childcare practices in order to explain why practices apparently detrimental to children's health persist. Risk aversion, the need to maintain self-identity and status, and constrained decision making result in a failure to invest extra necessary resources in growth-faltering children. Understanding and responding to the social context of child malnutrition will help humanitarian workers to integrate their efforts more effectively with longer-term development programmes aimed at improving livelihood security.

Citation

Hampshire, K., Casiday, R., Kilpatrick, K., & Panter-Brick, C. (2009). The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger’s recent food crisis. Disasters, 33(1), 132-151. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01066.x

Journal Article Type	Article
Online Publication Date	May 30, 2008
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2009
Deposit Date	Sep 23, 2008
Publicly Available Date	Jun 9, 2010
Journal	Disasters
Print ISSN	0361-3666
Electronic ISSN	1467-7717
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	33
Issue	1
Pages	132-151
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01066.x
Keywords	Famine, Food security, Gender, Humanitarian crisis, Intra-household allocation, Social networks.