Food Security Status and Its Related Factors in the Elderly in Yazd

Increasing population aging is a global challenge and has occurred very rapidly in all parts of the world. The elderly population is more at risk of diseases, and their improper condition may impair their ability to live and cook at home. Food insecurity endangers public health as well as nutritional status, especially in the elderly. The present study aims to investigate the food security status and its associated factors in adults aged over 60‏ years.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 elderly (88 men and 112 women) referring to health centers in Yazd. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to record demographic information. The standardized FaCPS-FSSM (Farsi Current Population Survey-Food Security Survey Module) questionnaire was used to assess the food security of the elderly. The participants’ food security and their relationship with the studied variables were evaluated by chi-square and ANOVA statistical tests using SPSS software version 20.

The findings indicate 44% complete food security, 12.5% mild insecurity, 8.5% moderate insecurity, and 35% severe food insecurity in the elderly participated in the study. Moreover, a significant relationship was observed between education level (P = 0.01), marital status (P = 0.01), income (P = 0.001), and some chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular (P = 0.02), gastrointestinal disorders (P = 0.03), and hyperlipidemia (P = 0.01) with food insecurity (P ˂ 0.05).

The present study shows a significant prevalence of food insecurity (56%) in the elderly. A significant relationship was also observed between some chronic diseases and food insecurity. Therefore, it is recommended to perform educational programs, intervention studies, and cohort studies to improve food insecurity, especially in the elderly with the mentioned chronic diseases