A Guide to Implementing Nutrition and Food Security Surveys

Technical Handbook

Preface

Nutrition and food security surveys provide the information from which to assess the nutritional and food security status of a population. This document provides guidance on specific aspects of conducting nutrition and food security surveys. Chapters 1 to 6 focus on the various anthropometric measurements performed during nutrition surveys. Chapter 1 first describes two forms of undernutrition - acute undernutrition and chronic undernutrition - and then explains each including the signs and symptoms associated and the anthropometric indices used to diagnose them. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 describe the equipment needed, the personnel required and the steps to undertake in performing weight, height, MUAC and oedema measurements respectively. Chapter 6 then discusses how survey personnel can be assessed as to their abilities to perform the various anthropometric measurements through a standardisation test.

Chapter 7 and 8 then talk about dietary diversity and food consumption, two indicator sets that are used for food security assessments. In Chapter 7, minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) and minimum dietary diversity for children under 2 years (MDD) are discussed particularly the standard questionnaire used and the different food groups assessed. In Chapter 8, the food consumption score (FCS) is described including the standard questionnaire used and the different food groups assessed. Finally, Chapter 9 talks about the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), the standard questions used to develop a questionnaire and the three food security domains it assesses.

Throughout this document, there are boxed texts that are meant to provide either a note/information, a reminder, a warning related to the topic being discussed. In addition, there are boxed texts that point to downloadable forms or documents that the main body of text is referring to.