Food Insecurity in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and its Association with Anthropometric Measurements

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disorder which affect the capabilities of sensory-motor and the ability of producing and preparing food in patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of food insecurity in patients with MS and its association with body mass index (BMI) and demographic parameters.
In this cross-sectional study, 139 patients who were registered in the Council of Patients with MS in Shiraz, southern Iran were randomly selected (including 118 women and 21 men with an average age of 26.5 years). The state of food insecurity of these patients was assessed by using a questionnaire of Household Food Security Status. Height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and arm circumference were measured based on the standard instructions and waist to hip ratio and body mass index was also calculated.
The prevalence of food insecurity and the level of food security in the patients were 69.8% and 30.2%, respectively. A significant difference was observed in the waist to hip circumference ratio that was higher in the food insecurity group than the food security group. Assessing anthropometric data with food security score showed a significant inverse relationship between arm circumference and food security score, although the association was not strong.
According to the findings of this study, food insecurity has a high prevalence in patients with MS. Significant inverse relationship between arm circumference and food security score observed in these patients indicates to poor nutritional status of them.