Prediction of Food Security Levels in Rural Households Based on Socio-Economic Factors (The Case of Nahavand County, Iran)

Abstract

The role of nutrition in the health area, increasing efficiency and its relationship with economic development has been approved through extensive research in the world using scientific foundations and empirical evidence. Therefore, accessing to food security is the basic pillar of development. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the role of socioeconomic factors affecting the food security of rural households in Nahavand County, Iran. The statistical population consisted of 26599 rural households of Nahavand County that 255 people were selected using Cochran formula and stratified random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used to data collection, which its validity was confirmed by a panel of faculty members in the University of Tehran and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha which its range was 0.72 to 0.91 for different sections of the questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in two parts of descriptive and inferential statistics using the software SPSS21. Results showed that the difference in various levels of household income in terms of food insecurity levels was statistically significant at the 0.01 level. The results of logit regression (probit) analysis suggested that variables of decision-making ability, nutritional awareness of head of the household and the household income have the greatest impact on rural households’ food security.

Keywords

• food security
• rural households
• Nahavand County