Poverty, household food insecurity and nutrition: coping strategies in an informal settlement in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine household food security and coping strategies of an informal settlement in the Vaal Triangle.

Study Design: A survey study design was used.

Methods: Pre-tested socio-demographic questionnaires were administered to 357 randomly selected caregivers and 149 children aged 9-13 years old. A validated quantified food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) and 24-h recall were used to measure dietary intake and food consumption patterns and the Cornell hunger scale to determine coping strategies. Data were statistically analysed for means and standard deviations.

Results: The results indicated that the majority of caregivers (68.8%) had an income of
Conclusions: It can be concluded that this is a poverty-stricken community with household food insecurity where the caregivers changed their food consumption patterns to cope, resulting in compromised nutrition.