Anastasia Marshak and colleagues publish on wasting patterns in Somalia
In Somalia, approximately 3.2 million people are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity, and approximately 800,000 people are experiencing more severe emergency levels of food insecurity.
Overall, child wasting has consistently exceeded the 15% emergency threshold for global acute malnutrition.
In a Field Exchange article published by the Emergency Nutrition Network, researcher Gwenaelle Luc and co-authors, including Feinstein Assistant Research Professor Anastasia Marshak, examine spatial and temporal patterns in child wasting and food insecurity in rural Somalia.
Their study found clustering of child wasting and household food insecurity within community and livelihood zones. The study also found that seasonal wasting patterns differ from seasonal patterns of food insecurity, indicating a more complex relationship.
The authors advocate for strategies to prevent wasting that extend beyond food-centered approaches, focusing on drivers such as environment and seasonality, institutions, and livelihood systems.