Factors associated with household food insecurity among mothers in People’s Housing Program (PHP) in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Introduction: Urbanization contributed to the rise of the urban poor, and one of the challenges this population faces is food insecurity. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of household food insecurity and to investigate the factors associated with it among mothers living in People’s Housing Program (PHP) in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Materials and methods: A total of 315 mothers were recruited and interviewed. The factors studied included socioeconomic (education, employment, income), and psychological variables (stressful life events, depression), and other factors (nutrition knowledge, women empowerment, financial/food assistance). The associations between the factors with food insecurity were analysed using binary logistic regression. Results: Among the respondents, 51.4% were food insecure. Mothers with secondary education (AOR = 3.430, 95% CI: 1.490-7.891), mothers who were unemployed (AOR = 3.034, 95% CI: 1.381-6.663), mothers who reported having family problems (AOR = 4.658, 95% CI: 1.625-13.351) and financial constraints (AOR = 2.567, 95% CI: 1.166-5.648), households that received financial assistance (AOR = 2.813, 95% CI: 1.299-6.088), households with monthly income lower than the poverty line income (PLI) (AOR = 2.385, 95% CI: 1.261-4.509), and households that spent 17.3% or more on food expenditure (AOR = 4.040, 95% CI: 1.646-9.919) from their household income were associated with food insecurity. Conclusion: Food insecurity is mainly driven by socioeconomic factors, but psychological factors like stress and depression, also contribute significantly. Thus, it is essential to consider both economic and psychological factors when planning interventions on poverty eradication and mental health improvement.

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