Socio-economic Status, Food Security Status and its Coping Strategies among ‘The Lost Food Project’ (TLFP) Recipients in Klang Valley during COVID-19 Pandemic

@#Introduction: The Lost Food Project (TLFP) is a non-profit organization who continuously working on their strategic plan in combating the food insecurity problem by distributing food surplus to low income households within Klang Valley. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the socioeconomic status, food security status and its coping strategies among TLFP recipients in Klang Valley during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study was conducted from April to June 2021. There were 88 respondents recruited through convenience sampling. A set of questionnaires regarding food assistance, nutrition knowledge, food security and its coping strategies was prepared, and the respondents were interviewed either by phone, face-to-face or self-administered questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of food insecurity among households in this study was 59.1%. Most of them have moderate (37.5%) to good (27.5%) nutrition knowledge. The coping strategy that most of the respondents applied was ‘using less expensive food’ (58.3%) with at least once per week within the past one month. Food insecure households tend to adopt more coping strategies compared to those food secure households (p<0.001). Moreover, households who rent their house (p<0.01), low household income (p<0.05) and high monthly food and drinks expenditure (p<0.01) were associated with the food insecurity among TLFP recipients. Conclusion: The study concluded that lower household income, higher food and drinks expenditure and those who rent the house have negative impacts on household’s food security status. Thus, the situation forced them to apply more food-related coping strategies in their daily life. Further research should be conducted on the effectiveness of TLFP in helping them to improve Malaysian’s food security status.

Demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics, Household Food Security Status and Academic Performance Among Primary School Children in North Kinta, Perak, Malaysia

@#Introduction: Good academic performance is important for children to ensure their personal well-being. This cross-sectional study investigated the associations between demographic and socio-economic characteristics, household food security status and academic performance among primary school children at North Kinta, Perak, Malaysia. Methods: Two national primary schools were selected randomly and all Standard 5 and 6 students were invited to participate in this study. Self-administered questionnaire on demographic and socio-economic characteristics and food security status was completed by parents. The results from last year examination were acquired from the teacher to evaluate students’ academic performance. Results: Overall, 140 respondents were involved, in which 51.4% were male. A majority of the household (80.7%) displayed food insecurity. Multiple logistic regression revealed that students from well-off households were more likely to have higher marks in English Language Comprehension (OR=8.28, 95%CI: 1.49, 45.91), Writing (OR=25.02, 95%CI: 2.36, 265.69) and Mathematics (OR=7.79, 95% CI: 1.44, 42.11). Female students showed high odds to pass English Language Comprehension (OR=3.47, 95% CI: 1.49, 8.16) and Writing (OR=4.16, 95%CI: 1.51, 11.45) compared to male students. Conclusion: This study unveiled that gender and low household income results in the low achievement in students’ academic. Therefore, for the upcoming intervention programmes should focusing more on helping students from poor households in order to enhance students’ academic performance.

Prevalence and factors affecting food insecurity among university students in Pahang, Malaysia

@# Introduction: Food insecurity exists whenever people are unable to access sufficient food at all times for an active and healthy life. University students are a potentially vulnerable group of people to face food insecurity. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and determinants of food insecurity among a population of university students in Kuantan, in the state of Pahang. Methods: Food security status was identified using the United States Adult Food Security Survey Module (USAFSSM). Factors, which include demographic background, spending expenditure pattern and time constraints, were assessed. A total of 316 students were selected through stratified random sampling throughout six faculties of the International Islamic University Malaysia, of whom 307 successfully completed the survey. Results: The result shows that 54.4% of the students were experiencing food insecurity, from which 32.9% were sub-categorised as low food security and 21.5% as very low food security. Food insecurity was found to be significantly associated with time constraints (p<0.05), spending on books (p<0.05), miscellaneous items (p<0.05), parents’ income (p<0.001) and scholarship type (p<0.001). Conclusion: Apart from the high incidence of food insecurity among the students, time and financial affordability appeared to be critical concerns in this study. Since food insecurity has become a significant issue with university students, it should be addressed and prioritised by the relevant authorities.

Socio-demographic Factors, Food Security and Mental Health Status among Mothers in Mentakab, Pahang, Malaysia

@#Introduction: Women are vulnerable to food insecurity. This study aimed to determine the demographic factors, food security and mental health status among mothers in Mentakab, Pahang. Methods: This cross-sectional study was participated by 129 mothers aged 20 years to 59 years old. Mothers were interviewed to obtain information on demographic factors, food security status (Radimer/Cornell Hunger Scale) and mental health status (DASS-21). Chi-square and binary logistic regression were used to determine an association between factors and food security status. General linear model (GLM) was used to determine the difference in mental health score according to food security status group after controlling for covariates. Significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The mother’s mean age was 38.30 ± 9.70 years. Prevalence of food insecurity was 55.8%. About 39.5% of mothers were depressed, 24.0% were experienced anxiety and 16.3% of mothers were stressed. The mean depression and anxiety score were 4.11 ± 3.54 and 2.96 ± 3.19 respectively. The mean stress score was 3.91 ± 3.44. Low household income (p<0.01) was increased the risk of food insecurity by nine fold. After controlling the covariates, there was significant difference in mean of depression score (p<0.01), anxiety score (p<0.01) and stress score (p<0.01) based on the food security status. Conclusion: More than half of the households were food insecure. Low household income was a main contributor towards food insecurity. Poor mental health status was associated with food insecurity. Lifestyle management and skills equipment need to arrange for mothers to improve their mental health status and socio-economic status.

Prevalence of food insecurity and associated factors among freeliving older persons in Selangor, Malaysia

@#Introduction: Older persons are vulnerable to food insecurity. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of food security and associated factors among free-living older persons in Petaling District, Selangor. Methods: A total of 220 free-living older persons aged 60-87 years were selected by using the cluster sampling method in this cross-sectional study. Faceto-face interviews were conducted to obtain information concerning the demographic and socioeconomic background, food security, oral health, and psychosocial status. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the studied variables. Results: The median age of the respondents was 65.5 years, and 19.5% were found as food insecure. There were significant associations between marital status (χ2=6.818), education level (χ2=6.242), occupation status (χ2=7.540), monthly income (χ2=9.940,), and oral health status (χ2=9.627) with food security status. Those with a low monthly income (AOR=2.449, 95% CI: 1.046-5.732), poor oral health status (AOR: 3.306, 95% CI: 1.387-7.889) and living in rented accommodation (AOR=6.218, 95% CI: 1.458-26.518) were more likely to be food insecure. Conclusion: Respondents with an income lower than the poverty line income (PLI), living in rented accommodation and poor oral health status face increased risk of food insecurity. A nutrition assistance programme is suggested to improve the socioeconomic and food security status of older persons. Regular oral check-ups are recommended to improve the oral health status of the elderly.