{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]],"date-time":"2026-06-04T16:27:28Z","timestamp":1780590448877,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]],"date-time":"2024-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727136000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Malnutrition is a global problem that affects all countries in one or more of its forms, representing one of the greatest challenges worldwide. One of the key contributing factors is food insecurity, which must be evaluated in children with moderate and severe acute malnutrition, as they are at imminent risk of death. Objective: Our objective was to assess food insecurity among children under 5 years old with moderate, and severe malnutrition from Valle del Cauca, a state located in the southwestern region of Colombia. Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted, including children whose weight-for-height (W\/H) indicator was below 2 SD, as recorded on the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts, or who exhibited severe malnutrition phenotypes such as marasmus or Kwashiorkor. Family and child food security were evaluated using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). Results: 58.6% of households with acutely malnourished children experienced food insecurity. A statistically significant relationship was found between food insecurity and children of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. According to caregivers\u2019 perceptions, 30.2% of child malnutrition cases were related to poor feeding and caregiving practices. Conclusions: Not all children with acute malnutrition suffer from food insecurity. Therefore, the findings of this research suggest that governmental efforts should focus not only on ensuring food availability, but also on educating caregivers about the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet tailored to the specific characteristics of each region and promoting appropriate caregiving practices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children11101155","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]],"date-time":"2024-09-24T08:54:17Z","timestamp":1727168057000},"page":"1155","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Measuring Food Insecurity in Children under 5 Years of Age with Acute Undernutrition in Valle Del Cauca\u2014Colombia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-1948-0827","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura Valentina","family":"Parra-Pinzon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituci\u00f3n Universitaria Escuela Nacional del Deporte, Santiago de Cali 760042, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elisa Maria","family":"Pinzon-Gomez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Martin, Cali 111711, Colombia"},{"name":"Secretaria de Salud Departamental, Gobernaci\u00f3n Valle del Cauca, Cali 760045, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3522-1183","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sayda Milena","family":"Pico-Fonseca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituci\u00f3n Universitaria Escuela Nacional del Deporte, Santiago de Cali 760042, Colombia"},{"name":"Ciencias de la Salud, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Seccional Cali, Cali 760021, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isabel Cristina","family":"Hurtado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Secretaria de Salud Departamental, Gobernaci\u00f3n Valle del Cauca, Cali 760045, Colombia"},{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Universidad del Valle, Cali 760001, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana Rocio","family":"Guzman-Benavides","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Secretaria de Salud Departamental, Gobernaci\u00f3n Valle del Cauca, Cali 760045, Colombia"},{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Universidad del Valle, Cali 760001, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5714-166X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Olmer Alexander","family":"Pantoja-Rodr\u00edguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Universidad del Valle, Cali 760001, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2021, October 03). 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