Household food insecurity, diet quality, and weight status among indigenous women (Mah Meri) in Peninsular Malaysia

• DOI: 10.4162/nrp.2018.12.2.135
• Publication Date: 2018-04-03T06:50:12Z
• Authors: Chong Su Pei; Geeta Appannah; Norhasmah Sulaiman
• Keywords: Food group

Background/objectives: This cross-sectional study assessed household food security status and determined its association with diet quality weight among indigenous women from the Mah Meri tribe in Peninsular Malaysia.Subjects/methods: The Radimer/Cornell Hunger Food Insecurity Instrument Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (HEI) were used to assess quality, respectively.Information on socio-demographic characteristics 24-hour dietary recall data collected through face-to-face interview, anthropometric measurements including weight, height, body mass index (BMI) obtained 222 women.Results: Majority of households (82.9%) experienced different levels insecurity: 29.3% insecurity, 23.4% individual 30.2% fell into child hunger group.The food-secure group had significantly fewer children smaller sizes than food-insecure groups (P < 0.05).The mean income, income per capita, expenditure decreased as insecurity worsened 0.001).The higher HEI scores for grains cereals 0.01), well meat, poultry, eggs 0.001), groups.The child-hunger fat 0.05) sodium 0.001) groups.Compared childhunger groups, multivariate analysis covariance showed that was associated a score while foodinsecure BMI after controlling age 0.025).Conclusions: majority faced insecurity.Food at lower diet, level weight.Therefore, substantial effort by all stakeholders is warranted improve poorer households.The results suggest pressing need nutritional interventions intake low households.