Assessment of Households’ Food Insecurity through use of a USDA Questionnaire

The objective of this study was to measure the extent of food insecurity, and identify key socio-economic factors associated with this condition among households in the Alborz Province, Iran. Survey data was collected from a random sample of 166 urban and peri-urban households using the Household Food Security Survey Module of the U.S. Department of Agriculture [1], translated and adapted to the local context. A context-specific categorization of household Food Security status was applied to distinguish the various levels of severity with which the phenomenon of food insecurity may be experienced by Iranian households. Results showed that more than half of the sample population suffers from food insecurity. Food insecurity was found to be significantly associated with lower education and income levels. Findings also showed that food insecurity is common among households that have lived in Karaj suburbs for more than 20 years. Food insecurity is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, and remains a cause of concern for vulnerable households in Iran. This study confirms that unemployment, low income, and lack of education may expose families to the risk of food insecurity, thus intensifying poverty-related problems.