Comparing Food Security Status Using Dietary Intake and Expenditure Methods based on Socioeconomic Factors in Newly Merged Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

This study analysed food security among rural households in the merged districts of Bajaur and Mohmand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, using the Dietary Intake and Expenditure Methods. Food security, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals of ending hunger, is deeply influenced by socioeconomic factors such as age, education, employment, family structure, and asset ownership. Data from 384 households revealed distinct levels of food security across demographics. The Dietary Intake Method defines a household as food secure if per capita intake is at least 2,350 kcal daily, while the Expenditure Method classifies households as food secure if monthly food spending meets two-thirds of the sample’s average. Results showed that food insecurity peaks among older household heads (61-90 years), with 76.47% food insecure by expenditure and 22.06% by dietary intake methods, whereas younger heads (20-30 years) reported lower food insecurity rates underscoring 15.91% by expenditure method and 18.18% by dietary intake method. Illiterate household heads faced high food insecurity rates of 49.01% by expenditure method and 31.13% by dietary intake method, while education significantly lowered these rates. Family size also influenced outcomes undermining larger families having 16-21 members showed elevated food insecurity of 84.91% in both methods, compared to smaller families having 2-5 members. Employment substantially decreased food insecurity, illustrating that the rates dropped to 23.13% by expenditure method and 47.62% by dietary intake method for employed households. Asset ownership, especially livestock and land, helped to mitigate food insecurity. Households without livestock or land had 64.5% and 58.74% food insecurity through expenditure method respectively, compared to 33.02% and 12.24% among those with these assets. Extended families and lack of foreign remittances also correlated with higher food insecurity rates. Policy recommendations include enhancing economic opportunities, especially in rural areas, to improve employment and incomes. Investments in education, especially for household heads, could bolster food security resilience. Programs supporting asset ownership, such as livestock and land, could serve as economic buffers for vulnerable households.