Status of Food Security in Kerman, Iran During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Majallah-i dānishgāh-i 'ulūm-i pizishkī-i Arāk Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 774 - 785
• Main Authors: Tezerji, Sajjad, Nazari Robati, Fatemeh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Arak Medical University 01.12.2020
• Subjects: covid-19; crisis; food security
• ISSN: 1735-5338; 2008-644X
• DOI: 10.32598/JAMS.23.COV.6254.2

Background and Aim: Food security at individual, family, national, regional and global levels can be achieved when all people at all times have physical and economic access to adequate and healthy food to meet their nutritional needs and priorities for a healthy and active life. This study aims to investigate the status of food security and its related socioeconomic factors in households during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-9) pandemic in Kerman, Iran. Methods & Materials: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 households selected randomly from five comprehensive health centers in five districts of Kerman city in Iran. A demographic/socioeconomic questionnaires and the Persian version of the 18-item USDA Household Food Security Survey (HFSS) were used for collecting data. Ethical Considerations: All ethical principles are considered in this article. The participants were informed about the purpose of the research and its implementation stages. They were also assured about the confidentiality of their information and were free to leave the study whenever they wished, and if desired, the research results would be available to them. Results: There was a significant relationship between the socioeconomic factors (household size, house size, and number of amenities) and the food security. There correlation between the household size and food security was positive (R= 0.142, P<0.001), while the correlation of house size (R= -0.093, P<0.005) and number of amenities (R= -0.73, P<0.001) with food security was negative. Conclusion: By increasing the awareness of people and improving their economic situation, it is possible to improve the food security situation of households in Kerman city.