Coping Strategies Index 5 th - 9 th December 2011, Rome

Objectives Introduce the coping strategies index in both of its forms Describe how it is calculatedGive examples of how it is used

What is the CSI?  The Coping Strategies Index (CSI) is a simple and easy-to- use indicator of household food security  The CSI is based on a series of responses (strategies) to a single question: “What do you do when you don’t have adequate food, and don’t have the money to buy food?”  The CSI combines:  The frequency of each strategy (how many times was each strategy was adopted?)  Their severity (how serious is each strategy?)

Two types of CSI Context-specific CSI Develop a context-specific list of strategies Identify context-specific severity scores (weights) List of strategies should reflect what the households typically do in case of a shortage of food Severity weights for each strategy are identified through focus groups with communities It has been criticized for being relatively unhelpful in comparative anal Reduced CSI A standard short list of five coping strategies are asked Standardized severity weights are applied It is less valuable in identifying the most vulnerable households in a given location. But it is very useful for comparing across countries and time because it focuses on the same set of behaviors.

Reduced CSI – questionnaire example In the past 7 days, if you did not have enough food and were unable to buy food, how many times has your household had to: Number of days a. Rely on less preferred and less expensive foods?[____] b. Borrow food or rely on help from a friend or relative?[____] c. Limit portion size at mealtimes?[____] d. Restrict consumption by adults in order for children to eat? [____] e. Reduce number of meals in a day?[____]

Reduced CSI - strategies and weights StrategySeverity weight Eating less preferred foods1 Borrowing food or relying on help from friends and relatives 2 Limiting portion size at mealtime 1 Limiting adult intake in order for small children to eat 3 Reducing the number of meals per day 1  Extensive reseach demostrated that the “reduced” CSI reflects food insecurity nearly as well as the “full” or context-specific CSI

Reduced CSI – calculation example In the past 7 days, if you did not have enough food and were unable to buy food, how many times has your household had to: Number of days Severity weight Weighted score (number of days * weight) a. Rely on less preferred and less expensive foods?515 b. Borrow food or rely on help from a friend or relative?224 c. Limit portion size at mealtimes?717 d. Restrict consumption by adults in order for children to eat?236 e. Reduce number of meals in a day?515 Total Reduced CSI =28

CSI role in the analysis CSI is a proxy indicator for household food security It is a continuous variable and can be used to compare means of groups Households may be ranked and divided into terciles (or other) to show which are the worst off

Mean CSI DépartementCSI reduced (mean) Nord-Ouest 24.3 Nord 25.9 Nord-est 21.9 Artibonite 21.4 Centre 22.1 Ouest 22.1 Grande-anse 20.8 Nippes 18.7 Sud 23.7 Sud-est 18.2 Total 22.2  Consider the mean CSI across categories (provinces, livelihood groups, etc.)  Identify and report differences between means

Terciles of CSI

Combined Mean CSI and CSI Terciles

CSI: trend analysis  Consider the mean CSI over time (seasonality, monitoring, etc)

Questions?