Matías Maljar

Tarjeta Alimentar (TA) has been in place since 2020 as an income supplement for families receiving Argentina’s Asignación Universal por Hijo (AUH). The amount of the benefit varies depending on the number of children and adolescents in the household. This study assesses the impact of TA eligibility on food insecurity (FI) using a difference-in-differences (DiD) approach. Based on a sample of urban households with children and adolescents who were AUH recipients, the findings indicate that TA eligibility significantly reduced severe food insecurity in 2020. Owing to the program’s design, severe FI reductions were larger than the average in households with two child recipients, as well as in those with younger children. Moreover, substantial decreases in severe FI were registered in single-parent households and in households where mothers had low education levels. Given that the identification strategy is based on eligibility (age-based rule) rather than observed receipt, the estimates should be interpreted as an Intention-To-Treat (ITT) effect of being eligible for TA.

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.

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.

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.