The Role of Household Structure on The Prevalence of Food Insecurity

Aim: Food insecurity is common in both developed and developing countries affecting from 5% to 25% of the general population. Food insecurity has been found to have significant impacts on physical, social, and psychological status of individuals in communities suffering from that. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of household composition on the household food insecurity.
Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2503 households selected from Qaresoo region in the northwest of Iran. Household food security status was measured by a validated short questionnaire including six questions. Chi-square and logistic regression were used for data analysis.
Result: Of 2503 households, 1012 (40.4%) were identified as food secure and the remaining 1492 (59.6%) were food insecure. There was a significant relation between family structure & size and household food security status (p<0.005). There was however, no significant association between household food insecurity and the number of children (under five) and the number of elderly individuals living at home.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that food insecurity is prevalent in the area. This study showed that existing of young children (under five) in the family might increase the risk of household food insecurity. Financial support for new households, proper nutritional education programs especially for households with young children, can help to reduce the risk of food insecurity in the community.