Children’s experiences of food insecurity in Lebanon :a qualitative study -

Abstract

The norm has been for children’s experience of food insecurity to be examined by parental reports. Researchers have challenged the notion that parental reports of childhood food insecurity are the most accurate and have begun to explore children’s own experiences of food insecurity, since the literature shows that children are able to reliably report on their own experiences. The purpose of this study is to examine children’s perceptions and experiences of food insecurity, as compared to those of a parental proxy and to define components of this experience that can be used to develop a child-specific food security tool for Lebanon. Twenty nine mother-child pairs were recruited through the dispensaries of the Ministry of Social Affairs in one urban (Beirut) and two rural areas (Bekaa and the South). 19 boys and 18 girls were interviewed out of which 8 were sibling pairs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers and children (8-12 years). Qualitative questionnaires were used to assess the experience of food insecurity of mother-child dyads. The data were analyzed using Nvivo 10, using thematic analysis. Results showed that most of the children were aware of the presence of food insecurity at their household. Children experienced cognitive, emotional and physical awareness of food insecurity which were indicated through their reports on matters such as the importance of salary, stressful home environments and feelings of worry. Mothers were more prepared to talk about their experiences of food insecurity while children were more reserved and in some instances there were discrepancies between mother-child dyad reports. Gender and age differences can create differential experiences of food insecurity within the same household. Mother and child reports of coping mechanisms were very similar and mainly manifested in decreasing quantity of food consumed, sharing food, prioritizing younger siblings and eating whatever is available. Examining children’s own perceptions of food