• Shannon Doocy, Eva Leidman, Tricia Aung, and Thomas Kirsch.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Ste E8132, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. sdoocy@jhsph.edu
• Food Nutr Bull. 2013 Mar 1;34(1):95-103.

BackgroundThe 2010 floods inundated one-fifth of Pakistan and affected more than 20 million people.ObjectiveTo characterize the impact of the floods and subsequent humanitarian response on household economy and food security.MethodsA cross-sectional 80 x 20 cluster survey (n = 1,569 households) was conducted using probability proportional to size sampling in the four most flood-affected provinces 6 months after the floods. Analysis included both descriptive statistics and regression models, with receipt of food aid (in the first month), dietary quality, and household income at 6 months postflood as outcomes.ResultsNeed for food aid was nearly ubiquitous (98.9%); however, only half of the study population ever received food aid. Displacement was not a significant predictor of food aid receipt (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.98); however urban location (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.00 to 3.86) and damage to the home (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.34 to 5.60) were significantly associated. Some of the hardest-hit groups, including both farmers and day laborers, were significantly less likely to receive food aid (p < .05). Additionally, receipt of food aid was not necessarily associated with improved household economy or food security; although households in internally displaced people (IDP) camps were more likely to receive food aid (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.00 to 3.86), they were less likely to report same or improved dietary quality (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.88) or income status (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.86).ConclusionsFood aid coverage following the 2010 floods was relatively low, and many of the most affected populations were less likely to receive aid, suggesting that targeting should be improved in future responses.

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