Description
GPIGYN indicates whether the household owned guinea pigs. The complementary variable GPIGNUM reports the number of guinea pigs owned by the household.
Guinea pigs are consumed as a traditional delicacy and source of protein in parts of Latin America, and they are now being raised as a food source in parts of Africa. Guinea pigs require minimal capital to acquire, can be raised indoors (thus not requiring access to land), can survive on kitchen waste, reproduce quickly, are easily portable to a different location, and can be raised as a source of income or cheap protein.
The information in GPIGYN is taken from the household record and applies to regular household residents, not temporary visitors. Researchers may wish to exclude visitors using the RESIDENT variable when women, children, or births are the unit of analysis, and using the HHRESIDENT variable when household members are the unit of analysis.
