Investigation of factors influencing food insecurity in Iranian families using generalized ordered logit model

Food security and public health have had a specific position in large-scale governmental policies in the last two decades, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Iran is no exception. The food security and food health of Iranian families should be particularly considered, given the fact that their purchasing power has declined. Thus, the present study aims to investigate factors influencing food insecurity in Iranian urban families. Data were collected from 18704 urban families in different Iranian provinces based on the consumption of nine necessary food groups. Generalized ordered logit models were employed. The results indicated that 73% of the urban families were food secure, while the remaining 27% were food insecure. Moreover, the estimation of the final effects for the Generalized logit model showed that gender, age, homeownership, personal automobile, family size, and income had significant effects on food insecurity in different urban groups. According to the results, Kermanshah Province had the highest level of food security, while Kerman and Hamedan Provinces were at the lowest level of food security. Since two high-risk groups were identified in terms of consuming calories, it is recommended to make targeted policies to balance the two groups. The results also implied the higher food security of families with female householders than that of families with male householders.