Masters Degrees (Consumer Science)

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/11660/415

Browse

Browsing Masters Degrees (Consumer Science) by Author "Cronjé, Natasha"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Changes in the food security status during the Covid-19 pandemic among the elderly within the Bethal District, Mpumalanga, South Africa
    (University of the Free State, 2023) de Jager, Aninka; Cronjé, Natasha; Oldewage-Theron, Wilna
    South African households were established to be food insecure prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, hunger in Africa has only increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, due to its effects on economies and job losses. Moreover, the food security status of the elderly in the Bethal district, Mpumalanga, remained unknown for the time period prior to and during COVID-19. Therefore, this study focused on determining the food security status of the elderly with the use of HFIAS (Household Food Insecurity Access Scale) and HDDS (Household Dietary Diversity Score), also including food access and availability, health effects of COVID-19 and consumer food behaviour amongst the elderly in the Bethal district in Mpumalanga prior to and during COVID-19. A mixed-method study with a total sample of 112 people, between the ages of 60 and 100 years, who live in the Bethal district (including: Amersfoort, Bethal, Ermelo, Kriel, Middelburg, Morgenzon, Secunda, Volksrust, Wakkerstroom, Witbank/eMalahleni, Devon, Brakpan, Lothair, and Perdekop). A structured questionnaire in the form of a survey was employed to obtain quantitative data. The qualitative component utilised semi-structured interviews that were conducted in person with the researcher in order to gain information of the participant’s experience on the COVID-19 lockdown and it’s effects on food security. Descriptive and inferential analysis to determine significance was done with SPSS version 26. Only 21.6% of elderly respondents reported various levels of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no significant differences were observed in the number of respondents that were severely food insecure prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, more than half (54.1%) respondents reported taking part in physical activity during lockdown; even though, the majority of the respondents did not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines of exercising at least 30 minutes per day. Very few (20.5%) of respondents reported weight gain during the COVID-19 lockdown period, as very few also reported being an emotional eater. A few participants (n=16) reported experiencing mental health difficulties due to social media content received during lockdown. More than half (69.9%) of respondents reported being diagnosed with a chronic illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HDDS indicated that the elderly consumed more healthy foods during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to prior the pandemic, as very few respondents reported consuming more snacks during the lockdown, and very few reported lockdown as stressful or affecting their sleep negatively. The findings suggest that food security prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic remained high amongst the sampled population. However, mild to severe food insecurity percentages increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic was observed to increase health difficulties experienced, which include chronic illnesses and mental health. No significant differences were reported in the elderly’s physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the elderly did not experience a change in income during the COVID-19 pandemic. For future research, more in-depth studies are necessary to explore the elderly’s consumer behaviour, how provinces within South Africa’s elderly food security differ after the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focussing on the low-income elderly within South Africa and how food price increases since the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the elderly’s food security.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Exploring food insecurity, food waste, and dietary diversity among rural and urban households of Lesotho
    (University of the Free State, 2023) Molapo, Maletsie; Cronjé, Natasha; de Wit, Maryna
    Lesotho is one of the sub-Saharan African countries that perpetually struggles with food insecurity. Consumers in Lesotho still waste food despite living in a low-income country. Most people live under the poverty line of US$1.00 per day and low-income households consume meals that are low in diversity, which elevates micronutrient deficiencies. Consequently, many children under five years of age experience stunting, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies due to a lack of food or insufficient intake. The study sought to explore household food insecurity, estimate the quantity of household food waste, determine household dietary diversity, and identify food preservation techniques in rural and urban areas of Lesotho. The research was conducted in four of the 10 districts of Lesotho, namely Mafeteng, Thaba-Tseka, Leribe, and Qacha’s Nek. The sample size was 440 households, and stratified random sampling was used for the selection of participating households. A mixed-methods approach was utilised and an exploratory descriptive design was adopted. Both structured questionnaires and interviews were employed, which represented quantitative and qualitative elements. The questionnaire addressed socio-demographics, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), food waste, the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), and food preservation. The consumers who participated in the study were 18 years and older. The analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and Fisher’s exact test was used to compare variables. Food insecurity was significantly higher in the rural areas than the urban areas, where four categories were measured, namely food secure, mildly food insecure, moderately food insecure, and severely food insecure. Indicators of food insecurity were to be being a female, being unemployed, and cooking with open fire. Using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electricity for cooking significantly were found to reduce food insecurity. Total food waste estimations were calculated at 190.9 kg (rural) and 156.2 kg (urban) per week, resulting in annual estimated food waste of 13 003.2 kg (rural) and 7 496.8 kg (urban), totalling 20, 500 kg of household food waste in Lesotho annually. The main ways that consumers discard food waste in both rural and urban areas are using compost heaps, discarding it in the garbage bin, and burying it. All these were significant predictors of food waste even though they had a weak correlation. It is also a common practice to give food waste to animals. The main reasons for food waste in both the rural and urban areas were that consumers like to eat fresh food, they are too busy to cook planned meals, food is left too long in the refrigerator/freezer, they buy too much food, they do not check the cupboard or refrigerator/freezer before going shopping, and some members of the household do not always finish eating their food. Food groups that are not wasted in large quantities in rural and urban are fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products, legumes, and grains. The dietary diversity of the rural and urban areas differs significantly, with diversity in the urban areas being higher than in the rural areas. Food groups mostly consumed are cereals (soft/stiff porridge and bread) and leafy green vegetables (rape, cabbage, and spinach). Fruits are mostly consumed when they are in season because they are expensive otherwise. Factors that significantly contribute to increasing the HDDS are using electricity and LPG for cooking. Factors that significantly decrease the HDDS are being female, cooking with an open fire, and purchasing food every two weeks. More consumers preserve food in urban areas than in rural areas, and the prominent techniques for preserving food are sun drying and bottling, while fewer consumers in both rural and urban areas consider salting and freezing. Food insecurity is still high, even though diversity is promising. It is therefore recommended that the creation of awareness be established, through policies and other platforms regarding, household food waste, food security and eating patterns.