1. Household Food Insecurity Is Associated with Nutritional Status among Iranian Children.
- Author
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Shahraki SH, Amirkhizi F, Amirkhizi B, and Hamedi S
- Subjects
- Child, Cluster Analysis, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diet ethnology, Diet psychology, Educational Status, Family Characteristics ethnology, Female, Growth Disorders epidemiology, Growth Disorders ethnology, Humans, Income, Iran epidemiology, Male, Malnutrition epidemiology, Malnutrition ethnology, Malnutrition physiopathology, Nutrition Surveys, Parents, Risk Factors, Socioeconomic Factors, Students, Thinness epidemiology, Thinness ethnology, Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ethnology, Diet adverse effects, Food Supply economics, Growth Disorders etiology, Malnutrition etiology, Nutritional Status ethnology, Thinness etiology
- Abstract
This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine household food security status and sociodemographic factors influencing it and to examine whether food insecurity of household is a risk factor for underweight, stunting, and thinness in primary school children of Sistan and Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran. A sample of 610 students aged 7-11 years was selected by a multistage cluster random sampling method during December 2013-May 2014. Using U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Security questionnaire, 42.3% of households showed some degree of food insecurity. Food insecurity was positively associated with household size (p = .002) and number of children per household (p = .001) and negatively associated with mother's and father's education level (p = .005 and p = .042, respectively), father's occupation status, and household income (p < .0001). Children living in food insecure with severe hunger households were 10.13, 10.07, and 4.54 times as likely to be underweight, stunted, and thin, respectively, as counterparts from food secure households. The findings showed food insecurity was prevalent and associated with sociodemographic factors among households with schoolchildren in southeastern Iran. Nutritional status of children was also associated with food security status of their households.
- Published
- 2016
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