(P17-041-23) Household Food Insecurity Among the Indigenous San People in Rural Botswana

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of household food insecurity and its determining factors among San people.

Methods: Data were collected from 367 households in nine randomly selected locations in a cross-sectional survey. Household food insecurity was evaluated using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and Modified Household Dietary Diversity Score (March-August 2019). Related socio-demographic data were collected through a questionnaire.

Results: Only 2% of households reported being food secure, and 98% were classified as food insecure (2% mild, 10% moderate, and 86% severe). The majority of the households had poor dietary diversity, measured as monotonous consumption of low-nutrient-dense foods. Given the nearly ubiquitous rates of food insecurity, there were no statistically significant associations between food insecurity status and selected key variables (e.g., region, income, household size, household head’s age, and gender) except for dietary diversity.

Conclusions: These results underscore the need for a more robust interdisciplinary community-based investigation of the determinants of household insecurity among this population to inform future targeted and culturally responsive food and nutrition interventions and policies.

Funding Sources: International Development Research Centre (Doctoral Research Award), Botswana International University of Science and Technology (Ph.D. Fellowship), University of British Columbia (Society to Cell’ Clyde Hertzman Memorial Fellowship and Public Scholar Initiative Award).