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Food insecurity in Palestinian and Iraqi refugees in Lebanon
Author(s) -
Ghattas Hala,
Sahyoun Nadine R,
Seyfert Karin,
Sassine AnnieBelle J
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.1054.3
Subject(s) - refugee , food insecurity , food security , poverty , vulnerability (computing) , environmental health , psychological intervention , logistic regression , mental health , socioeconomics , geography , medicine , economic growth , agriculture , sociology , economics , psychiatry , computer security , archaeology , computer science
The Middle East region has 1.8m refugees, the majority of which are Palestinians and Iraqis. In Lebanon, their legal status is compromised resulting in high rates of poverty and potential vulnerability to food insecurity. We aimed to assess food insecurity and its predictors in two surveys conducted in Palestinian (n=2575) and Iraqi (n=630) refugee households living in Lebanon. Food security was assessed using a 6‐item food security survey module. The prevalence of food insecurity was 41.2% in Palestinian and 35.5% in Iraqi households and that of severe food insecurity (SFI) was 20.8% and 45.9%, respectively. In multivariate logistic regression, the major variables associated with SFI in Palestinians and Iraqis were self‐reported mental health (OR=2.8, p=0.000; OR=1.7, p=0.019) respectively, and ownership of food‐related assets (OR=0.71, p=0.003; OR=0.75, p=0.039). Poverty, acute illnesses, and head of household primary education were associated with SFI in Palestinians, whereas number of children under‐15 and poor housing quality predicted SFI in Iraqis. Severely food insecure households in both refugee populations reported a significant reduction in intakes of fruits, meat and dairy products. Future interventions on food insecurity in Palestinian and Iraqi refugees should address mental health issues, education and dietary diversity. This research was funded by the EU and UNHCR, Lebanon.