A dynamics appraisal of association among food Insecurity, women and child health: Evidence from developing countries

ABSTRCT: Food insecurity has adverse consequences on women and child health in developing country. This study aims to fill the existing research gap by examining the dynamic impacts of food insecurity on women and child health outcomes, this study adds fresh large scale panel data; and unlike the existing studies this study estimates the short run dynamics on food insecurity on women as child health of developing countries. We found that there was a positive association between health expenditure, women fertility rate, women and child health outcome. There was a negative and statistically significant impact of food insecurity on women anemia in developing countries of Asia. Overall, the empirical analysis found that there was strong strength to be negative correlation between food insecurity and women and child health outcome, particularly in relation to women’s participation as a productive labour force. The study suggests that there is need to multidimensional approach such as women and child health outcome, is needed to advance this type of research areas and should be followed broad spectrum policy interventions to improve the women and child health status as part of sustainable development goals.


Introduction
Globally, debates on food security have involved women and child health as a key indicator to stimulate sustainable development (FAO,2018). Interesting, many researchers have explored a strong linked between women and child health and food insecurity, particularly in case of marginalized and deprived regions who have limited access of socioeconomic resources (Quisumbing and Pandolfelli, 2010) . Food security is meant to a state when all the people have economic and physical access to safe, healthy and adequate to fulfil their dietary requirements for healthy and energetic life (FAO, 2006). Measuring the dynamics of food security has been inadequate in developing countries as women and child health status and other socioeconomic and political factors, have not been examined into account (Aziz et al, 2020;Palmeira, 2020).
Nevertheless, of the fact that almost half of global population and about 42% of the total labour force consists on women in under develop economies (FAO,2015), poor women and child health status remains a global issue, particularly in developing countries (UNDP, 2016). Women and children in low and middle income countries are more vulnerable to experience food insecurity (Alarcao, 2020;Sinclair et al, 2019). There is need to improve women and child health status to rise not only their education status but also nutritional status (Galiè et al., 2019). Worldwide, about 450 million adults have been facing alarming food insecurity since 2014. From them, 6% are adult women and 14% are children. Women and Children in less developed countries are more likely to become food insecure than males as they take less calories and food intake compared to males (Broussard, 2019;Brown et al., 2018). In some countries, more food is preferably served to male as compare to female members in the household (Torheim and Arimond, 2013), which causes food insecurity (Von Grebmer et al., 2014). Moreover, food insecurity not only leads to low immunity, but also worsen the health status of women (Johnston et al., 2014). Similarly, the extent of food insecurity has inauspicious costs for children health status (Von Grebmer et al., 2014). There may be many factors behind extent of food insecurity, but the most important reason is their low income and disparity in intra-food intake (Laar and Aryeetey, 2015). The remaining factors involve limited household employment opportunities and education (Chimhowu, 2019;Po and Hickey, 2018;Bayissa et al., 2018). Food insecurity has had negative implications not only for health status but also economic development (Ariti et al., 2018). Globally, various studies on the topic of women health and empowerment and its impacts for food security as well as other development ends are being done in recent past (Farrukh et al, 2020;Tsiboe et al., 2018;Lentz, 2018;Suraningsih et al., 2016;Tibesigwa and Visser, 2016;Wiesmann, 2006). However, so for so developing countries are concerned, no such research has been done previously, although impact of different factors on food (in)security have been examined by plethora of studies (Akram, 2018;Abrar ul haqet al., 2018;Naz et al., 2014;Bashir et al., 2013;Anila and Kiani, 2011;Ahmad and Farooq, 2010). The impact of food insecurity as potential factor on women and child health remains an unexplored area in developing countries. To be the best of our knowledge, no study has been estimated the short and long run impact of food insecurity on women and child health status, especially in developing countries. Therefore, present study fills the existing research gap in following ways; first, by examining the long run impact of food insecurity on women and child health, this study adds fresh large scale panel data; and second unlike the existing studies this study estimates the short run dynamics on food insecurity on women as child health of developing countries.

Conceptual Framework
There are multidimensional levels of concern when delving into consequences of food insecurity from national to household to household to individual and among individuals (Farrukh et al, 2020).
At individual level, anyone food intake habit is influenced by expectations, self-motivation, personal efficacy and socioeconomic capability. At household level where resources for food is scared, choice of food depends on availability and access rather than nutritional value and content, whereas the intra-household food distribution will further affect food consumption through the surrounding culture and norms. The unfavourable health impacts of food insecurity in developing countries are wide-ranging affecting women and child's mental, physical, cognitive and nutritional well-being (Wiesmann, 2006). Food insecurity can have long term opposing effects on brain and cognitive development that is influenced by nutritional inadequacy pathways (Ariti et al., 2018).
A pregnant woman with low quality of food, limited food intake, yet more nutrient requirements increases her own and her growing infant's risk of inadequate micronutrient and caloric intake.
Food insecure children have a 150% more likely of anemia and iron deficiency, which leads to impairments in psychomotor, mental and cognitive development (Tsiboe et al., 2018). They have been found to have deficiency in magnesium, vitamin A and protein (Chimhowu, 2019).
According to Laar and Aryeetey (2015) that under 3 year children in food insecure households had upraised odds ratios for respiratory infections as compare to food secure households. Similarly, another study of Johnston et al., (2014) found that food insecure household kids are 32% more likely to be got ill and poor health. Mental health status is also affected by food insecurity (Broussard, 2019;Brown et al., 2018).
Similarly, the children who are food insecure will themselves face physical and mental health problems. Therefore, this study fills the existing research gap by examining the long and short run effects of food insecurity on women and child health in the case of developing countries.

Material and Methods
To estimate the impact of Food security on women and child health status in the developing countries of Asia, study used the Panel GMM estimation Method presented by the Arellano and Bover, 1995;Blundell and Bond, 1998  with respect to the , using the equation 2.
The resulted estimator will depend on choice of the norm function, Where W in equation 3 is the weight norm function bases of given data set.
The equation 4 is the final equation of the GMM which fulfil the following properties of GMM consistent, efficient, and asymptotically normal.

Women Heath Equations
Where i represent cross section (number of countries) and j represent data spam (1992-2019).

3.2.Data Description and Sources
To empirically analyze the impact of Food security on women and child health status in the

Empirical Results
The   The  The children who are suffer wasted and stunted were the most at risk (Briend, et. al., 2015). imports) also negatively associated with the children under 5 years affected by wasting.  Table 5 reports the Sargan test for the verification of over identification problem and white noise error terms in the GMM model 1, model 2, and model 3. Table 6 reported the Sargan test for the verification of over identification problem and white noise error terms in the GMM model 4, model 5, and model 6. The empirical results of both tables reported that estimated value of the chi square greater than the critical value. So, GMM model 1 to model 6 correctly specified and error terms are uncorrelated in each model.

Conclusion and Way forward
Food insecurity has adverse consequences on women and child health in developing country. The implications of these socioeconomic insecurities lead to chronic diseases. Those women and children with chronic disease will not only tent to increase health expenditures, but are more likely to become burden on household and ultimately, to have decrease the household welfare. This study aims to fill the existing research gap in following ways; first, by examining the long run impact of food insecurity on women and child health, this study adds fresh large scale panel data; and second unlike the existing studies this study estimates the short run dynamics on food insecurity on women as child health of developing countries. We found that there was a positive association between health expenditure, women fertility rate and obesity. There was a negative and statistically significant impact of food insecurity on women anemia in developing countries of Asia.Overall there was strong strength to be negative correlation between food insecurity and women and child health outcome, particularly in relation to women's participation as a productive labour force. The study suggests that there is need to multidimensional approach such as women and child health outcome, is needed to advance this type of research areas and should be followed broad spectrum policy interventions to improve the women and child health status as part of sustainable development goals.