Food Insecurity after Cash Transfer Program in Rural Areas of Tehran: A Mixed Method Study

Arezoo  Haghighian-Roudsari;; Fatemeh Mohammadi-Nasrabadi; Nasrin Omidvar; Mohammad-Reza Khoshfetrat; Zahra Mirzadeh-Ahari; Ghasem Fadavi; Yadollah Mehrabi

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v8i4.14010

Arezoo Haghighian-Roudsari; Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Fatemeh Mohammadi-Nasrabadi Research Department of Food and Nutrition Policy and Planning, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
Nasrin Omidvar Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad-Reza Khoshfetrat Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Zahra Mirzadeh-Ahari Nutrition consultant, Tehran, Iran
Ghasem Fadavi Standard Research Institute, Karaj, Alborz, Iran
Yadollah Mehrabi Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Para-Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v8i4.14010

Keywords: Food assistance; Social support; Food security; Qualitative search

Abstract

Background: Cash transfer (CT) is one of the strategies used by many developing countries to improve food security and nutritional status of lower socio-economic groups. This study aims to assessing household food insecurity (HFI) and viewpoints of women after CT program in rural population of Tehran province by both quantitative and qualitative methods. Methods: After making arrangements with rural health centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, 250 households were selected from five rural of Iran with different socio-economic status (SES) by cluster sampling. Locally adapted Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), food frequency, and SES questionnaires were completed, and height, weight, and waist circumference of adult females were measured. .Data on families' coping strategies were collected through 7 focus-group discussions. Results: The frequency of mild, moderate, and severe HFI was 22.3, 22.3, and 16.0%, respectively. SES negatively affected HFI (P<0.001), and HFI negatively influenced food-group consumption (P<0.001). Most of the women reported strategies like borrowing from family and friends, skipping meals, and eating less food by mothers. Conclusions: It seems that in spite of CT program, the prevalence of HFI among Iranians in rural areas was relatively high and consumption of food groups in FI households was low.