Abstract:

Background and Aim: Food insecurity is accompanied with a lot of physical, mental and socio-economic consequences. Therefore, monitoring food security and implementing suitable strategies is essential to reduce food insecurity in the society. The present study was designed to determine food insecurity prevalence and its association with the relevant factors in village of Qehi located in Esfahan province.

Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 92 children under the age of seven. First, a trained worker assessed the nutritional status of participants through measuring their heights and weights. Then, data about socio-economic status, nutritional information and food security status of the households were collected using general information, FFQ and USDA questionnaires during face-to-face interviews with mothers. Goodenough Draw-A-Person test was used to assess participants’ intelligence quotient level.

Results: The prevalence of household food insecurity in the studied population was 50%. There was a significant association between food security and children sex (P=0.01). Food insecurity was more in households whose mother was employed (P=0.04). We observed a positive association between food insecurity and number of members in the household and negative associations between food insecurity with children’s IQ, parental education level and household economic status (P<0.05). Furthermore, children who lived in food insecure households showed less frequency consumption of meat, fruits and vegetables (P<0.05).

‍Conclusion: Food insecurity was prevalent among the households in the studied population and it was associated with socio-economic factors. Factors such as higher level of parental education and economic status led to decrease food insecurity in the households. Children belonged to food-insecure households had lower IQ and less frequently consumed nutritious foods.