The association between food insecurity, socio-economic factors and dietary intake in mothers having primary school children living in Ray 2010

Presently 20-40% of Iranians suffer from food insecurity. Since factors associated with food insecurity vary in different communities, this study was initiated to determine the factors influencing food insecurity in mothers having primary school children living in Ray (a District of Tehran), Iran. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, in spring 2010, on 430 mothers having primary school children, selected by two-stage cluster sampling. A general information questionnaire was used to collect data on economic status and socio-cultural characteristics, and data on food intake and food security were collected using the 24-hour food recall and the USDA food security questionnaire, respectively. The statistical tests used for data analysis included the chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, and simple regression. The prevalence of food insecurity among the mothers was 50.2%. The education level of the mothers and of the heads of households, ownership of residential unit, and having better home facilities were inversely associated with food insecurity. On the other hand, food insecurity increased with an increase in family size. The intakes of all the macronutrients except fat was statistically singnificantly lower in the food-insecure group. Based on the findings of this study the following recommendations can be made to improve household food security: increasing education level of family members, promoting family economic status, and adopting and implementing better population control policies.