Household food insecurity and association with sociodemographic factors in Abidjan

Abstract Background Surveys in Côte d'Ivoire have shown an increase in food insecurity. In rural areas, it rose from 12.6% in 2009 to 20% in 2013. The situation was even more serious in urban areas, with 71% of households experiencing food insecurity. In peri-urban areas resulting from inappropriate urbanization, the food security situation may present others specificities compared to the urban area. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the present situation of food security in a peri-urban neighborhood in Abidjan. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 648 households in April 2019. A structured interview was conducted. The questionnaire included households'sociodemographic characteristics on one side and measures of three food access indicators on the other. Those indicators were household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS), household dietary diversity score (HDDS) and household food consumption score (HFCS). Statistical analyses were carried out using Chi square test. Results Cereals and tubers were the most consumed foods 91.2% and 59.3% respectively. Few households consumed dairy products (1.4%), fruit (2%) and vegetables (7.9%). HFCS was adequate at 99.2% and HDDS was high in 44.2% of households. Only 3.8% of households were food secure. HFCS was related to the household head's age (p = 0.04). HDDS was associated with the sex and marital status of the household's head (respectively p = 0.019 and p < 0.001) while education levels and marital status were related to severe food insecurity (HFIAS) (p = 0.002 and p = 0.005 respectively). Conclusions Our results highlight that some sociodemographic factors are related with the food security. Therefore, policymakers, producers and consumers should work together to better understand food access in periruban area and to help improve the food environment in ivorian cities. Key messages People in Abidjan still lack dietary diversification and experience food insecurity. It is important to work on factors such as education level to improve food security.