Association of Socioeconomic Status and Food Security with Anthropometric Indices Among 2–5‑year‑old Urban Children in Eight Different cities in Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Child nutrition status is very important in all societies, which is influenced by the interaction of multiple factors including food security and socioeconomic status in both genders. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between food security and socioeconomic status with anthropometric indices among 2–5‑year‑old urban children in eight different cities in Iran.

Materials and Methods: In this cross‑sectional study, anthropometric Z scores of 7028 children of urban area were measured by using World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro software based on WHO 2007 standards. Family food security was assessed by using HFIAS 9‑item questionnaire. Socioeconomic status as well as health factors were analyzed using the SPSS.

Results: Based on the present study, significant correlation was observed between sleep time, birth weight, and food security (P < 0.05) with body mass index (BMI), while the rest of the variables including age, family size, number of children, parents’ education, breastfeeding duration, watching TV, playing computer games, playing outdoors, number of main eating, and number of snacks showed no significant
relation (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: It was shown that 2–5 years old children’s life are the most vital and vulnerable to the hazards of undernutrition or overweight and obesity, which could affect the whole health of the person. As food security affects BMI, it is important to focus more on this issue in order to improve child’s health status.

Keywords: Body mass index, malnutrition, obesity, overweight, thinness