Background
More than a decade ago, UNICEF developed a conceptual framework for malnutrition in which inadequate food intake was identified as an immediate cause of child malnutrition (UNICEF, 1997). Inadequate food intake by children is often a consequence of suboptimal child feeding practices (Latham, 1997). Optimal child feeding practices is a function of household food supply (quantity and quality) and intra-household food allocation practices. In developing countries, gender is often an important factor in determining household food supply and food allocation practices. Gender divisions in household food supply have been reported for rural communities across Ghana (Colecraft et. al., 2006). According to Colecraft et al. (2006), rural Ghanaian caregivers of young children indicated that their husbands provided the starchy staples such as cereals or tubers for family meals while they, the caregivers were responsible for the ingredients including the vegetables and animal source food (ASF) for stews and soups. This division may reflect cultural perceptions of the relative importance of the different components of a meal, with the staple food which is eaten in larger quantities perceived as more important than the soups and stews. The Ghana study reported that women primarily purchased the ASF they used in making stews or soups for family meals. These women therefore identified poor purchasing power, due to low income, as an important limitation to their ability to provide adequate ASF for all family members in household meals.
HAGAN, L (2021). Identifying The Influence Of Male Household Heads On The Expected Outcomes Of Enam Project Community-Based Interventions. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/identifying-the-influence-of-male-household-heads-on-the-expected-outcomes-of-enam-project-community-based-interventions
HAGAN, LYNDA "Identifying The Influence Of Male Household Heads On The Expected Outcomes Of Enam Project Community-Based Interventions" Afribary. Afribary, 28 Apr. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/identifying-the-influence-of-male-household-heads-on-the-expected-outcomes-of-enam-project-community-based-interventions. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
HAGAN, LYNDA . "Identifying The Influence Of Male Household Heads On The Expected Outcomes Of Enam Project Community-Based Interventions". Afribary, Afribary, 28 Apr. 2021. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/identifying-the-influence-of-male-household-heads-on-the-expected-outcomes-of-enam-project-community-based-interventions >.
HAGAN, LYNDA . "Identifying The Influence Of Male Household Heads On The Expected Outcomes Of Enam Project Community-Based Interventions" Afribary (2021). Accessed November 22, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/identifying-the-influence-of-male-household-heads-on-the-expected-outcomes-of-enam-project-community-based-interventions