Prevalence and Predictors of Food Insecurity among Public and Private University Lecturers: A Cross Sectional Study in Nangarhar, Afghanistan

Background: Food security (FS) is a substantial right of human beings and should be addressed in all groups of the society. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity (FI) among university lecturers in Nangarhar province. Methods: 287 university lecturers were selected from public and private universities through stratified random sampling technique. FS was assessed over the past 30 days and through the 10-item short US FS survey module. Data were collected by a well-structured questionnaire in face to face interviews. Results: Results revealed that 55.05% of university lecturers suffered from FI with a higher prevalence among private university lecturers (P = 0.001). Moreover, FI was significantly associated with ethnicity (P = 0.04), education level (P = 0.01), academic position (P = 0.001), monthly income (P = 0.01), and having another job besides being a lecturer (P = 0.001). Furthermore, lecturers between 36-40 year (OR = 0.043, CI = 0.006-0.292, P = 0.001) with a bachelor's degree (OR = 0.130, CI = 0.033-0.518, P = 0.004) had the lowest odds, and those with senior teaching assistant position (OR = 9.350, CI = 3.371-25.932, P < 0.001), and monthly income of less than 350 US dollar (OR = 162.70, CI = 9.315-2841.92, P < 0.001), had greater odds of FI. Conclusion: FI is prevalent among university lecturers. Therefore, prompt interventions should be conducted by relevant departments to minimize the risk of FI among the lecturers.