Prevalence of Food Insecurity among Low-income Women in Saudi Arabia

摘要

Food insecurity is a major public health concerns that have influences at the individual and environmental levels. The objectives of our study were to measure the prevalence of food insecurity among low income women and to determine the factors related to food insecurity such as weight status, socioeconomic status and dietary factors. A cross-sectional study, was conducted in Al-Ahsa among 147 low-income women were interviewed to collect data about socioeconomic and nutritional status. Fifty seven percent of the women reported as food insecure (21% household food insecure, 12% individual food insecure and 24% child hunger), the majority of them were married and housewives. Women in child hunger group reported the lowest mean years of education (4.64 years) with significantly higher mean of weight and BMI (p = 0.03, p = 0.024, respectively) compared to other groups. The recommended daily serving intakes of all food groups were adequate only fruit and vegetable group was inadequate (two serving). While women in the food insecure groups had higher mean intakes of energy, fat, protein and carbohydrate. This present study showed that food insecurity is present in Saudi Arabia and associated with nutritional status and that highlight the importance of more researches about food insecurity and public health in the community.