Food insecurity is associated with low diet quality and unhealthy cooking and eating habits in Iranian women

Abstract Background Food insecurity affects diet and nutrition intakes. We explored the relationship between food insecurity and dietary intakes in a group of Iranian women. Methods The cross-sectional study was performed on 190 healthy females aged 20–55 years attending primary healthcare centers in Shiraz. Food insecurity was evaluated by Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, which is a validated tool for assessing food insecurity in developing countries. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The association of dietary patterns and food insecurity was assessed by linear regression. Results Assessment of dietary intakes revealed that consumption of red meat, poultry, fish, dairy, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, and nuts decreased whereas that of grains, processed meats, potato, and sugary foods increased with increasing food insecurity. Among nutrients, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, calcium, and magnesium decreased while fat and sodium increased as food insecurity increased. Three major dietary patterns were detected. Healthy dietary patterns showed inverse associations with food insecurity in the crude (β = -0.422 and − 0.435, P < 0.001) and adjusted (adjusted for age, marital status, and educational level) (β = -0.475 and − 0.341, P < 0.001) models of regression analysis but unhealthy pattern did not show an association with food insecurity. Compared to food secure participants, a higher percentage of food insecure individuals indicated unhealthy eating habits, such as skipping breakfast, lower snack ingestion, more fast and fried food consumption, and using unhealthy cooking methods. Conclusion Overall, this study showed that food insecurity was associated with less healthy diet and unhealthy cooking and eating habits.