Food security and its association with socioeconomic status and dietary diversity in free living older people in Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Abstract Background Food security is a function of food access and dietary diversity. Older age is a period when adequate and diverse dietary intake is a challenge. This study aimed to investigate the association between food security on the one hand and dietary diversity and socioeconomic factors on the other hand among the free-living older people in the city of Tehran. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 583 older people, aged 60–80 years living in Tehran city, were selected through the systematic cluster sampling method. Food security was determined by the United States Household Food Security Survey Module (US-HFSSM (.Socioeconomic status (SES) and two 24-h recalls were obtained. Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) was calculated using the FAO 2010 guideline. Multinomial logistic regression was applied. Results The average age of participants was 67.87 ± 5.86 years. Based on US-HFSSM, 56.9% of older people were food secure; while 25.7%, 14.2% and 3.2% suffered from food insecurity (FI) without hunger, with moderate hunger, and with severe hunger, respectively. There was no association between FI and DDS, even after controlling for confounders. FI with mild hunger was associated with household income (OR = 2.744, 95% CI = 1.100–6.846), while FI with severe hunger was associated with Fars ethnicity (OR = 0.146, 95% CI = 0.051–0.424). Conclusions Overall, socio-economic status and demographic characteristics were the predictors of FI among older people. The findings can have implication in design and targeting of interventions directed at older people.