Objective: To estimate the proportion of Mexican households in food insecurity (FI) and their distribution in relation to nutrition and socioeconomic conditions.
Materials and methods: We evaluated information from 40 809 households. FI was measured using a harmonized version for Mexico of the Latin American and Caribbean food Security Scale. Households were classified according to the level of food insecurity as follows: Food security, mild, moderate and severe FI. We describe the distribution of FI according to some household socioeconomic variables.
Results: Nationally, 28.2% of households had moderate or severe FI. Rural, indigenous ethnicity and household deprivation were risk factors moderate to severe FI (35.4, 42.2 and 45.9%, respectively). Severe FI was also associated with lower children height and weight.
Conclusions: Multi-sectorial actions are needed to address the basic needs of households with moderate and severe FI.