Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez

The objective is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale as a tool to assess the experiences of households and the Argentine population regarding insecurity of access to water. Addressing water insecurity is critical for advancing several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), and SDG 1 (No Poverty), given the strong links between access to safe water, health, and poverty reduction. The scale was administered as part of the Argentine Social Debt Survey (EDSA), on a probabilistic sample of 5799 households. The HWISE Scale demonstrated high reliability both overall and at the item level (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.95 at a total level and greater than 0.94 for each of the items) and criterion validity in terms of correlation with a broad set of indicators: social deprivations, sanitary infrastructure, food insecurity, and psychological health. Finally, the scale showed internal consistency, with a total omega coefficient value of 0.96, suggesting that all scale indicators refer to the same concept of deprivation in water access. In sum, the HWISE Scale applied to the case of Argentina is deemed appropriate for estimating household water insecurity.

The study investigated the effect of food security (FS) on anxiety levels of women living in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, who were users of the Unified Health System during pregnancy and the postpartum period. This was a cohort study conducted between 2018 and 2020 with 122 women recruited in Family Health Units and followed up in their homes. Food security and levels of food insecurity were assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, and anxiety levels were measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Sociodemographic and economic information was collected. Analyses were performed using a generalized estimating equation model adjusted for age and income. Women classified at any level of food insecurity presented higher anxiety scores. Throughout the follow-up period, women who remained food secure or transitioned from some level of food insecurity to food security showed a 9.3% reduction in their anxiety scores. The findings highlight the importance of food security not only as a human right but also as a protective factor against mental health disorders in women during a critical stage of life. Integration of mental health services with food security interventions is recommended, particularly during prenatal and postpartum care.

Resumo O estudo investigou o efeito da segurança alimentar (SA) no estado de ansiedade de mulheres residentes em João Pessoa-PB, Brasil, usuárias do Sistema Único de Saúde durante a gestação e o pós-parto. Estudo de coorte realizado entre 2018 e 2020 com 122 mulheres recrutadas nas Unidades de Saúde da Família e acompanhadas em seus domicílios. A Segurança e os níveis de Insegurança Alimentar foram avaliados pela Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar e o estado de ansiedade mensurado pelo Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado. Foram coletadas informações sociodemográficas e econômicas. As análises foram realizadas a partir de um modelo de equação de estimativa generalizada ajustado por idade e renda. As mulheres classificadas em algum nível de insegurança alimentar apresentaram maiores escores de ansiedade. Ao longo do acompanhamento, as mulheres que permaneceram em SA, ou passaram de algum nível de insegurança para SA reduziram seu escore de ansiedade em 9,3%. Os resultados destacam a importância da SA, não apenas como um direito humano, mas também para reduzir transtornos mentais em mulheres durante uma importante fase da vida. Recomenda-se a integração de serviços de saúde mental com ações de garantia da segurança alimentar, especialmente no pré-natal e pós-parto.

There is extensive evidence on the consequences of lacking safe water on the health and well-being of populations, which justifies the need to advance in the construction of new measurement instruments. The objective of this study is to evaluate the face validity of the HWISE Scale to measure water insecurity in Argentina. Four focus groups were implemented with 24 women residing in vulnerable areas of Greater Buenos Aires, to whom the scale was administered. The results reflect the breadth of dimensions of the phenomenon in the participants’ discourse, and the items’ wording was understood. The HWISE scale represents the phenomenon from the perspective of women in situations of social vulnerability but requires adjustments. The ítems are understood and cover the comprehensiveness of the phenomenon, although areas for improving its precision are identified.

Food and water security are essential components for Panama’s advancement toward the Sustainable Development Goals. This study aimed to quantify the prevalence of household food insecurity and water insecurity, and to explore the association between them using standardized measurement tools. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and June 2024 using an online questionnaire administered via Google Forms. The survey collected sociodemographic data and applied the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) scale to assess water and food insecurity, respectively. A total of 222 adult household heads were included (66.2% female), with a median age of 31.4 years. The prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity was 29.7% (95% CI: 24.8–34.6%) and 6.1% severe food insecurity (95% CI: 3.7–8.4%), while water insecurity affected 27% of households (10.4% high; 16.7% moderate). Multiple linear regression showed that moderate to severe food insecurity was significantly associated with water insecurity (β = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.08–0.31) and lower income levels. Specifically, food insecurity was associated with households reporting no income (β = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.05–0.44) and those with monthly income between 501 and 1000 USD (β = 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01–0.22), compared to households with income above 1000 USD. The results suggest that food insecurity is significantly associated with water insecurity, supporting the need for integrated approaches in public policy to address basic resource access in vulnerable populations.

The objective was to evaluate the quality of an instrument to measure the experience of household water insecurity (WI) and the factors associated with the prevalence of WI in an urban area in a municipality in the Western Brazilian Amazon. A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted to investigate 983 urban households. The Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) scale was used to measure the psychometric properties of reliability and validity. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and the prevalence ratio (PR, 95% CI) was calculated, considering WI as the dependent variable and the other household variables as independent variables. WI affected 46.2% (95% CI: 43.0–49.4%) of the households, independently associated with: head of the family as parent/other and presence of a child in the household. The instrument exhibited unidimensionality in the factor analyses and was considered to be both reliable and valid, as indicated by a Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.958. Household WI is a serious public health problem in the Amazon in correlation with both social vulnerability and a lack of public services. As a preliminary approach, the scale proved to be valid and reliable. However, considering the Amazonian context, misunderstandings about some issues by respondents were identified, and further validation studies are needed to improve the intelligibility of these questions.

Objective. Evaluate the validity and reliability of the Household Water Insecurity Experiences Scale (HWISE) as a tool to assess the experiences of households and the Argentine population regarding insecurity in access to water. Material and methods. The scale was administered as part of the Argentine Social Debt Survey (EDSA), on a probabilistic sample of 5,799 households. Results. The HWISE scale proved to be reliable globally and in each of its items (Cronbach's Alpha of 0.95 at a total level and greater than 0.94 in each of the items), and criterion validity in terms of correlation with a broad set of indicators of social deprivations, sanitary infrastructure, food insecurity, and psychological health. Finally, the scale showed internal consistency, with a total Omega coefficient value of 0.96, suggesting that all scale indicators refer to the same concept of deprivation in water access. Conclusions. The HWISE scale applied to the case of Argentina is deemed appropriate for estimating household water insecurity.