A scholar to talk about domestic water insecurity

CHICAGO — Sera Young of Northwestern University will discuss the development of the first scale to measure household water insecurity at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Progress of the Science (AAAS) in Washington, DC

Young led the development of scales within the HWISE Research Coordination Network, a multidisciplinary collaboration of 40 scientists from four continents.

Although the need for water is universal, the study of water security was delineated by disciplinary, sectoral and geographic silos, so that there was no standard measure for badessing household water insecurity.

Young's presentation is part of the Flash Talks lecture group, entitled "Technological Advances", which describes how science and technology have been used to broaden the understanding of the world and improve people's lives.

Young, badistant professor of anthropology and global health at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences in Northwestern and a faculty member of the University's Institute for Policy Research, uses a biocultural approach to study the effects of food and water insecurity on maternal and child health. She will present "The development of a transdisciplinary scale to measure household water insecurity".

"The 12 questions from the HWISE scale will transform our understanding of the prevalence, causes and consequences of one of our most valuable resources: water," Young said. "The implications of this data for research and policy are extremely interesting."

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More information here about Northwestern AAAS presenters.

(Contact source: Will be Young at [email protected])

"Developing a Transdisciplinary Scale to Measure Household Water Insecurity" from 10:10 to 10:20 Friday, February 15

Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

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