Coping or adapting? Experiences of food and nutrition insecurity in specialised fishing households in Komodo District, eastern Indonesia

Current trends in household food insecurity, dietary diversity, and stunting among children under five in Asia: a systematic review

Background

Household food insecurity (HFI) and poor dietary diversity (DD) are major public health challenges in Asia, greatly contributing to stunting among children under five. While previous research has focussed primarily on African regions, this systematic review provides novel insights into the association between HFI, DD, and stunting within the Asian context.

Methods

We searched across six major databases for studies published between 2019 and 2023 exploring the association between HFI, DD, and stunting in children under five across Asia. We then extracted their characteristics, evaluation methods, and outcomes related to stunting for analysis.

Results

From 3215 records, 37 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were from South Asia (n = 22), followed by Southeast Asia (n = 8), with fewer from West (n = 4), East (n = 2), and Central Asia (n = 1), highlighting geographical research gaps. We found high stunting rates among children under five, especially in South and Southeast Asia. Stunting was strongly linked to HFI and poor DD, suggesting that these factors are critical in addressing malnutrition. Socioeconomic factors, maternal education, and access to clean water also influence stunting outcomes.

Conclusions

Current research on HFI, DD, and stunting in Asia shows substantial variation, with the highest stunting rates in South and Southeast Asia. Limited data from Central and East Asia highlights the need for more comprehensive research in these regions. Addressing HFI and improving DD is critical for reducing stunting and achieving global nutrition targets by 2030.

Taboos, food avoidances, and diseases: Local epistemologies of health among Coastal Endenese in Eastern Indonesia

To advance interventions targeting malnutrition among small-scale fishing societies, knowledge on the role played by taboos and dietary avoidances on the consumption of fish related products becomes crucial. The article builds upon ethnographic fieldwork (participant observation, focus groups and interviews), dietary questionnaires (n: 112), and archival research among Coastal Endenese in Eastern Indonesia to understand the role played by taboos and dietary preferences in regulating intake of marine products. Moving beyond binary notions of “good” and “bad” when considering the food-system implications of taboos, it explores how local beliefs about illness and food shape dietary practices that can have concrete consequences for an individual's health. Endenese consider fish as having originated from terrestrial creatures, creating a continuous cycle of movement from land to sea and back. Within this cosmology, food is seen as a medium that can bring about healthy outcomes but also disease. Results emphasize the need to understand taboos and food avoidances within the larger cosmological and religious system but also underscore the changing nature of dietary preferences and values due to market integration processes which may have long-term repercussions on health. This information is key to the design of culturally sensitive dietary strategies and alternative livelihoods approaches that seek to minimize poverty.