Urban Food Insecurity in Malaysia: A Qualitative Pilot Study of Household Coping Strategies and Perceived Nutritional Trade-Offs

Food insecurity is a growing challenge in Malaysia, forcing B40 households to constantly choose between their limited financial resources and daily food needs. In addition to assessing and refining the cultural suitability of the interview guide, this pilot study explored the coping strategies used by urban households to navigate food insecurity and perceived dietary trade-offs. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with two male household heads from contrasting urban contexts, namely Kuching, Sarawak, and Shah Alam, Selangor. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, resulting in three main themes and distinct coping behaviours. One household relied on internalised coping, such as rationing and emotional suppression. In contrast, the other household adopted externally adaptive strategies, such as discount shopping and leveraging food assistance. In both cases, participants experienced a similar nutritional compromise, particularly in reduced meal quality and dietary variety. While these adjustments helped households stretch limited resources, they also raised concerns about hunger, perceived nutritional adequacy, and dietary variety. In addition to generating preliminary insights, the pilot study identified areas for refining the interview guide, particularly in relation to emotional burden, transport-related access, and perceived dietary trade-offs. Overall, this study offers preliminary policy insights by suggesting that food security interventions should consider household coping practices and emotional strain alongside affordability. Still, these suggestions need validation through larger-scale research.