In the 3 months preceding the survey, most (62%) of the sample individuals lived in households experiencing severe food insecurity, whereas fewer individuals experienced moderate food insecurity (32%), mild food insecurity (5%), and food security (< 1%).
Scores range from 0 to 27 where higher scores reflect more severe food insecurity and lower scores represent less food insecurity.
In terms of severe food insecurity, however, 14% more CBCO households were rated as severely food insecure as compared to the L-N group (relative risk 1.32).
Of the 4,013 students that completed the survey, 31percentt were found to be "food insecure" while 8.3percentt were fell in the category of "severe food insecurity".
In the final model for severely stunted children aged 0 23 months, when household wealth index was removed and replaced with household food security, the result indicated that household who reported severe food insecurity were 3.27 times more likely to be severely stunted than those who reported food security (adjusted OR = 3.27, 95%CI: 1.30, 8.20; p = 0.016).
Some 1.5m will face "severe food insecurity".
Huge numbers of people already facing severe food insecurity will be unable to grow food, meaning the possibility of famine "cannot be excluded", Lanzer said.
"As many as 5.3 million people may face severe food insecurity, with particular areas of concern in the non-conflict affected states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria".
Nevertheless, governments from Niger to Mauritania, where an estimated 700,000 people are facing severe food insecurity, compared with 500,000 in previous years, are taking preventive measures early.
