Title
Understanding how dynamic relationships among maternal agency, maternal workload and the food environment affect food choices
Abstract
Impacts of agriculture interventions on women’s time use, agency and consequent food choices in low-income countries are poorly understood. This study aims to (1) determine impacts of agricultural workload on maternal food choices; (2) examine factors influencing food choices and how they interact; (3) develop a tool to predict where agricultural labor-saving devices might increase agriculture intervention nutrition-sensitivity and how to change food environments to improve food choices. A 3-phase mixed method study will be conducted in rural Uganda. First, we will conduct a cross-sectional survey among women participating or not in a post-harvest labor-saving technologies program. Data will be collected on diet, time-use, personal / external food environments, maternal agency and social networks using traditional and innovative methods (wearable cameras, global positioning system). Data will be analyzed using propensity score matching, confirmatory factor analyses, structural equation modelling, social networking analysis and correspondence analysis to comprehensively understand dynamic interactions affecting desirable food choice. Second, qualitative data will be collected to triangulate with phase-I and improve our depth of understanding of factors driving food choice decisions. Finally, a tool will be developed to guide the design of nutrition-sensitive agriculture investments and advocate for investment packages/local food systems to improve nutrition.
Lead Institution
Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich
Collaborating Institutions
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Africa Innovations Institute (AfrII), Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG2000)-Uganda
Principal Investigator(s)
> Kate Wellard, MSc, PhD, Principal Research Fellow, Agriculture and Innovation, NRI
> Elaine Ferguson, PhD, Associate Professor, Nutrition, LSHTM
> Joweria Nambooze, PhD, Nutritionist, AfrII
Co-Investigator(s)
> Jan Priebe, MSc, Research Fellow, ICTs for Agriculture, NRI
> Pamela Katic, PhD, Research Fellow, Quantitative Socioeconomic Methods, NRI
> Lora Forsythe, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Gender and Livelihoods, NRI
> Luigi Palla, PhD, Statistician, Assistant Professor, Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, LSHTM
> James Murangira, MSc, Post-Harvest Program Manager, SG2000-Uganda
> Andrea Spray, PhD candidate, Nutrition, LSHTM
> Gwen Varley, PhD/MPhil candidate, Development Studies, University of Greenwich