Evaluation of food insecurity and associated factors in women of childbearing age: A community‐based study from Turkey

Food security is an important factor in ensuring a healthy diet. However, it has been reported that women are more vulnerable to food insecurity than men in many countries. In addition, there is little evidence that Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence is associated with a lower risk of food insecurity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate food insecurity and associated factors in women of childbearing age. In addition, women's adherence to MD and its relationship with food insecurity were evaluated. This descriptive and cross‐sectional study was conducted with 2675 adult women aged 18–49. The demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, nutritional habits, compliance with the MD, and the level of food insecurity were evaluated using the structured, self‐administered, web‐based questionnaire form. The mean age of the individuals was 29.5 ± 10.35 years. 21.6% of individuals had food insecurity, and 5.2% had severe food insecurity. 36.4% of the individuals adhere to the MD. There was a statistically significant difference between the individuals with and without food security regarding age, marital status, and income status (p .05). It was determined that age, marital status, and income status affected food insecurity (R2 = 0.374; p