Food Insecurity Status of Afghan Refugees is Linked to Socioeconomic and Resettlement Status, Gender Disparities and Children's Health Outcomes in Iran

This study aims to evaluate whether having an overweight/obese child, gender disparities and socio-economic factors can be a predictor of food insecurity among Afghan refugee households in Tehran province in Iran. The paper was carried out by cross-sectional data analysis. Household Food Insecurity Assess Scale (HFIAS) questionnaire was circulated among 317 Afghan refugees which have been selected by random sampling. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression model were used to determine the associated factors. Of the total sample, 88.7% of refugee families were food insecure in Tehran province, among them 36% and 40% faced moderate and severe food insecurity respectively. The refugees’ income, housing expenditure, the number of educated household members, personal savings and mother’s age were significantly and inversely associated with food insecurity. The length of staying and living in the host country as an integration proxy indicator and the frequency of travel to Afghanistan was directly associated with food insecurity. The number of female and male children had a different association with households' food insecurity. Also, the BMI score in the overweight/obese level was inversely associated with Afghan refugees' food insecurity. The results rejected the unilateral association between food insecurity and overweight/obesity among refugees. The result indicated the necessity of considering the state-of-the-art techniques to examine the bilateral association between health outcome and food security status. Also, determining associated factors with refugees' food insecurity is necessary because these mediating determinants are key for understanding how to prescribe policies that create win-wins.