title: Retrospective determination of whether famine existed in Niger, 2005: two stage cluster survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To apply the famine scale by Howe and Devereux to the situation in Niger, west Africa, in 2005 to retrospectively determine whether famine existed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two stage cluster survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of households in each of Niger's eight regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  4003 households.
  
  
  METHODS
  Crude mortality, mortality in children under 5, and the proportion of caregivers both nationally and regionally adopting coping strategies to deal with insufficient food needs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The estimated national crude mortality rate was 0.4 (0.4 to 0.5) deaths per 10,000 per day and under 5 mortality rate was 1.7 (1.4 to 1.9) deaths per 10,000 per day. Nationally, 22.3% (95% confidence interval 19.9% to 24.8%) of caregivers of under 5s did not resort to any coping strategies to deal with insufficient food needs. Reversible coping strategies were, however, used by 5.8% (4.7% to 7.0%) of caregivers, whereas 49.4% (46.9% to 51.8%) relied on irreversible coping strategies and 22.6% (20.0% to 25.4%) on survival strategies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of the famine scale proposed by Howe and Devereux, most regions in Niger experienced food crisis conditions and some areas approached famine proportions.
authors.affiliation: International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE (MS F-60), Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. afr6@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Avid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reza
authors.forename: Basia
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tomczyk
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Aguayo
authors.forename: Noel M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Zagré
authors.forename: Kadadé
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goumbi
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blanton
authors.forename: Leisel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Talley
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009548:Niger / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012423:Rural Health; D013217:Starvation / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology; D015996:Survival Rate