The Situation of Food Security and Related Factors in Female Teachers of Yasuj Education School Board

Abstract

Background & aim: Food insecurity is recognized as a serious public health problem in the world and has attracted the attention of the public, professionals, and policymakers. Food insecurity and hunger can affect social and mental health as well as physical health. Given that women make up half of human society and have a significant and far-reaching impact on public health; the present study aimed to assess the food security status among female teachers of Yasuj education school board. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study conducted in 2018, 400 female teachers were randomly selected as a sample from the female teachers of Yasuj Education School Board using a list of random numbers assigned to teachers by the simple randomization method. The Radimer-Cornell questionnaire was used to assess the food security, and a Seca scale and a tape measure were used to measure weight and height respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and one-way ANOVA. Results: In the present study, the mean and standard deviation of participant’s age was 37/87±6/89 years and the mean and standard deviation of body mass index was 25/90±3/70 kg/m2. The results of the present study indicated that in terms of body mass index, 123 people had a BMI below 25 (30/8 % = normal weight), 197 people had a BMI of 25 to 30 (49.2% = overweight) and 80 people had a BMI of more than 30 (20 % = obese). 70/5 % of teachers suffered from varying degrees of food insecurity, and only 29/5 % of the women studied had complete food security. They reported food insecurity on household (50%), individual (12%), and child (8.5%) scales. In examining the factors related to food security, the results of statistical tests showed that economic status, housing status, spousechr('39')s job, and participantschr('39') education have a significant statistical relationship with three scales of food insecurity (household, individual and child)(p<0/05). Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that there are degrees of food insecurity in a large part of the female teacherschr('39') community and that social and economic factors also play an important role in this food insecurity. It seems that it is possible to take steps to improve this problem with appropriate policies and executive strategies.

Keywords

• food security
• food insecurity
• women
• teacher