Abstract
BACKGROUND: The problem of food insecurity, from a public health perspective, is becoming increasingly pressing, as 9% of the global population is currently experiencing severe food insecurity most of whom reside in low- and middle-income countries. In Nepal, socially excluded ethnic groups are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity which is underexplored. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of households experiencing food insecurity and to identify the factors contributing to it. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 181 Dalit ethnic group family (a socially and economically disadvantaged community in Nepal). Data were collected using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) questionnaire developed by USAID's Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) project and were subsequently analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Systematic random sampling was employed for selection of the final respondents. A multinomial logistic regression model was employed for this purpose and its validity was assessed. RESULTS: Around 44.2% of households were food secure, 20% were mildly food insecure, 20.4% were moderately food insecure and the rest 12.2% were severely food insecure. The variables religion, sex of household head, education of household head, house type, having one's own land and monthly income were found to be statistically significant. Compared to literate household head, households with illiterate household head are 7.28 (CI: 2.03-26.10) times more likely to experience severe food insecurity. CONCLUSION: The study highlights a high burden of food insecurity among Dalit households in Bharatpur. The sex of the household head, the literacy level of the household head, land ownership, religion and housing type were significant predictors of food insecurity in this study. These findings underscore the need for targeted policy interventions to address food insecurity within socially excluded and economically disadvantaged communities in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2: end all forms of malnutrition and hunger by ensuring everyone has access to safe and nutritious food.