relationship between household food insecurity status and depression in mothers with school children living in ray in 2010

Food insecurity has been a global concern. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between household food insecurity and depression in mothers with school children in Ray City A cross-sectional survey of 430 mothers of school children was conducted in 2010 in Ray city. We employed USDA food security questionnaire. The prevalence of depression in mothers was assessed by Beck Depression Inventory [DBI]. Household food insecurity was identified approximately in fifty percent of participants and frequency of depression was 51.4% in mothers. Depression in 'food secure' group was 34.6%, and in 'food insecure with hunger' group was 77.8%. There was a positive, relationship between depression and food insecurity in mothers having primary school children living in Ray. The findings of this study revealed that level of food insecurity among mothers seems high. This study highlights the need to integrate programs addressing food insecurity and poor mental health for mothers

[ association between food insecurity, socio-economic factors and dietary intake in mothers having primary school children living in ray 2010]

Presently 20-40% of Iranians suffer from food insecurity. Since factors associated with food insecurity vary in different communities, this study was initiated to determine the factors influencing food insecurity in mothers having primary school children living in Ray [a District of Tehran], Iran. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, in spring 2010, on 430 mothers having primary school children, selected by two-stage cluster sampling. A general information questionnaire was used to collect data on economic status and socio-cultural characteristics, and data on food intake and food security were collected using the 24-hour food recall and the USDA food security questionnaire, respectively. The statistical tests used for data analysis included the chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, and simple regression. The prevalence of food insecurity among the mothers was 50.2%. The education level of the mothers and of the heads of households, ownership of residential unit, and having better home facilities were inversely associated with food insecurity. On the other hand, food insecurity increased with an increase in family size. The intakes of all the macronutrients except fat was statistically significantly lower in the food-insecure group. Based on the findings of this study the following recommendations can be made to improve household food security: increasing education level of family members, promoting family economic status, and adopting and implementing better population control policies

Prevalence of household food insecurity in the City of Shiraz and its association with socio-economic and demographic factors, 2008

Food insecurity, as a major public health problem during the past two decades, has received the attention of population experts, scientists and policy-makers. In Iran, based on daily energy intake, 20.0% and 23.2% of households were food-insecure in 1996 and 2001, respectively. Studies have also shown that food insecurity is 99.2% among households under coverage of Imam Khomaini Relief Committee and 36.2% in the Asadabadi Region. So far, food insecurity has not been assessed directly at national, provincial or district levels. This study determined the prevalence of household food insecurity and some associated factors in the urban areas of Shiraz, Iran. Measurement of food insecurity and determining its determinants can help policy-makers in planning, monitoring and evaluating food security promotion program. In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, 778 households from the urban areas of Shiraz were selected by the multi-stage cluster sampling method. Demographic and socio-economic data were collected using standard questionnaires; household food security was assessed on the basis of the USDA 18-item questionnaire. Factor analysis and the Chi-square test were used for socio- economic status criteria determination and data description, while one-way ANOVA and ordinal and linear logistic regression were used for data analysis and identifying the associated and predictive factors. The software used was SPPS 14. The prevalence of household food insecurity was 44% [food insecurity without hunger 27.8%, and food insecurity with moderate and severe hunger 14.4 and 1.8, respectively]. Food insecurity was greater in female-headed families, those with a larger number of children, or those with children under 18 years old [P=0.05]. It was positively associated with socio-economic status [P=0.0001]. Based on the final ordinal logistic regression, predicting factors for food insecurity were children under 18 years old in the family [CI95%:1.28-2.34, OR:1.73], low socio-economic status [CI95%:6.36-14.44, OR:9.56], and responder [mothers] [CI95%1.01-2.83, OR:1.7]. Household food insecurity exists in Shiraz. Having children under 18 years old in the family and low socio-economic status are the most important causes of household food insecurity. Policies and programs, such as promotion of socio-economic status, and approaches to promote the situation of under 18-year old children, such as school lunch programs, can help reduce food insecurity

Assessment of blood pressure status and its relationship with anthropometric indices among women in rural areas of Kerman province, Iran

High blood pressure [BP] is one of the most important modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, anthropometric indices such as body mass index [BMI], waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio [WHR] can independently and sometimes more severely lead to BP changes. The objective of this study was to assess BP status and its relationship with anthropometric indices among women in rural areas of Kerman province, Iran. This cross-sectional study was performed on 370 women of reproductive age [20-45 years old]. General information were gathered from each sample using questionnaire and face-to-face interview. Body weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured and BMI and WHR were calculated for each subject. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance [ANOVA], independent t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient tests. 15.9% and 22.8% of subjects were obese and abdominal obese [WHR>0.8] respectively. 14.3% of subjects were also hypertensive. BP significantly increased with weight, BMI, WHR, waist circumference and number of pregnancy. Furthermore, BMI was positively associated with systolic blood pressure [SBP] and diastolic blood pressure[DBP] [r=0.26,p<0.002 and r= 0.32, p<0.0001 respectively]. There was also a positive correlation between WHR with SBP [r=0.22, p<0.003] and DBP [r=0.24, p<0.002]. In addition, waist circumference was positively correlated with DBP [r=0.18,p <0.05]. Anthropometric indices have positive and significant correlation with blood pressure changes in women of reproductive age. It is generally recommended to consider weight control and body fitness for hypertension prevention in women