Food security and nutritional status in fishing communities in Bolivia's Northern Amazon : results of a household survey

Background: Bolivia faces both under and over nutrition. Fishing communities are thought to be at particularly high risk of malnutrition; however, their household food security and nutrition status is unknown. Objective: To examine the prevalence and correlates of household food insecurity, childhood stunting and maternal overweight in fisher populations in Bolivia’s Northern Amazon Basin. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 304 urban and 327 rural households with a head female of child bearing age (15-49 years) during the low water (October-November) and 186 urban and 297 rural households during the high water (February-March) seasons. Household food insecurity was measured with the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, Household Hunger Scale and the Household Dietary Diversity Score. Demographic, socioeconomic and other relevant data were collected. Weight and height were measured for children (