Food insecurity and quality of life in informal settlements of Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia.

ABSTRACT 

Globally, with rapid urbanization in most cities of the World, more people are now living in urban areas than in rural areas. The housing backlog coupled with a shortage of housing subsidies means that for many there is no alternative but to live in informal settlements. Urban food insecurity is often overlooked since, at the aggregate level, economic and social conditions in urban areas are much better than those in rural areas. The urban poor often live in neighbourhoods with poor sanitation, high environmental pollution and therefore high and chronic exposure to health hazards. Such unhealthy living conditions aggravate food insecurity and the quality of life of individuals. This study explored linkages between food insecurity and quality of life in informal settlements in Windhoek, Namibia and determine how socio economic factors mediate and explain both. A crosssectional quantitative design through a two-stage cluster survey sampling was applied. The sample size of the study was 416 respondents selected from 40 Primary Sampling Units (PSU’s). The research instrument used in this study was the face to face administered questionnaire, distributed to 416 respondents. The study measured three (3) indicators of food security namely, Household Food Insecurity Access Scores (HFIAS), Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Months of inadequate Household Food Provisioning (MIHFP). Lived Poverty Index (LPI) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL) instruments were used to measure quality of life. Bivariate analysis using cross-tabulations and chi-square tests, were also carried out to relate explanatory variables to food insecurity and quality of life. A binary logistic regression was used to relate quality of life status with food security, controlling for confounders like the biodemographic and socio-economic variables. Ordinal logistic regression model was used to investigate the effect of household characteristics to food insecurity and quality of life.