Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes in Sub-Saharan African Nations

Several Sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations face significant levels of food insecurity, which is known to worsen health outcomes. A new study published in BMC Public health analyzes analyzed the effects of food insecurity on life expectancy and infant mortality in SSA nations and found that both were negatively impacted by food insecurity.

According to the paper, “A 1% increment in people’s prevalence for undernourishment reduces their life expectancy by 0.00348 percentage points (PPs). However, life expectancy rises by 0.00317 PPs with every 1% increase in average dietary energy supply. A 1% rise in the prevalence of undernourishment increases infant mortality by 0.0119 PPs. However, a 1% increment in average dietary energy supply reduces infant mortality by 0.0139 PPs.”

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(Source: BMC Public Health, February 15^th, 2023)