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

Abstract

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.