Tropentag, September 10 - 12, 2025, Bonn "Reconciling land system changes with planetary health"

Determinants of food insecurity among Tanzanian school children: A cross-sectional study of self-reported experiences

¹Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Thaer Institute - Resource Economics, India
²Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Thaer-Institute - Div. Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Germany
³Leibniz Centre for Agric. Landscape Res. (ZALF), Sustainable Land Use in Developing Countries (SusLAND), Germany
⁴Leibniz Centre for Agric. Landscape Res. (ZALF), Germany

Abstract

Tanzania ranked 94^th out of 127 countries in the 2024 Global Hunger Index and 90^th out of 113 countries in the 2022 Global Food Security Index, indicating a “serious” level of hunger and persistently high rates of chronic child malnutrition. Therefore, there is an urgent need for evidence-based strategies to improve child health outcomes. This study aims to identify the most vulnerable groups for targeted food security interventions by analysing key socio-economic and demographic determinants of food insecurity among school children, based on their self-reported experiences. By collecting individual-level data on household food situation directly from children, rather than from caregivers, the study addresses the underestimation of child food insecurity often observed in adult-reported data. Stratified random sampling was used to select 208 school children aged 9-12 years across seven schools in Dar es Salaam and Pwani regions, representing urban and rural areas, respectively. To capture the multidimensional nature of short- and long-term food insecurity, respondents were administered two experience-based food-access scales: the Child Food Insecurity Experiences Scale (12-month reference period) and the Child Food Security Survey Module (1-month reference period). The results show that 68% of the surveyed children were food insecure in the short term, and 98% had some experience of food insecurity in the long term. Moreover, short-term food insecurity was mainly driven by the lack of a balanced diet, even among children from high-income households, and the frequent consumption of cheap, low-nutrient foods. Logistic regression analysis showed that short-term food insecurity was significantly negatively associated with urban residence, household income, home ownership, and the education level of the household head. It also exhibited a non-linear relationship with household-head’s age, with households led by very young or elderly individuals being more likely to have food-insecure children. In addition, rural schools often lacked the financial capacity to provide school meals, and headmasters cited low parental awareness of nutritional needs as a significant barrier to raising funds. These findings highlight the importance of integrated interventions that promote caregiver education about balanced diets and increase social support for low-income, rural households, particularly those headed by elderly or less-educated individuals.  

Keywords: FIES, food security, risk factors, rural-urban disparities, school children, tanzania

Contact Address: Jayshrita Bhagabati, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Thaer Institute - Resource Economics, Hauptstrasse 52a, 10317 Berlin, India, e-mail: jayshrita.bhagabatistudent.hu-berlin.de