Food security during the COVID-19 home confinement: A cross-sectional study focusing on adults in Malaysia

Seok Tyug Tan; Chin Xuan Tan; Seok Shin Tan

doi:10.1016/j.hnm.2022.200142

Food security during the COVID-19 home confinement: A cross-sectional study focusing on adults in Malaysia

Hum Nutr Metab. 2022 Mar:27:200142. doi: 10.1016/j.hnm.2022.200142. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

Authors

Seok Tyug Tan¹, Chin Xuan Tan², Seok Shin Tan³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Healthcare Professional, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Management and Science University, University Drive, off Persiaran Olahraga, Seksyen 13, 40100, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
² Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti Bandar Barat, 31900, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia.
³ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Bukit Jalil, 57000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Abstract

The surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission cases has led to the decision to execute the Movement Control Order (MCO) by the Federal Government of MalaysiaEconomic activities, psychological wellbeing, and food security may be negatively affected by the implementation of MCO. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence of food insecurity and its associated factors during the enforcement of MCO 1.0. A total of 162 respondents were enrolled in this study using convenience and snowball sampling approaches. Socio-demographic information was self-reported by the respondents. Food security and the presence of depressive symptoms during the MCO 1.0 were assessed with Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), respectively. Current findings demonstrated that the prevalence of food insecurity was 43.2%. Ethnicity, marital status, employment status, monthly earned income and being the head of a household were significantly associated (p< 0.05) with food insecurity during the MCO 1.0. A higher odds ratio for food insecurity were observed among Malaysian Indian (OR = 2.541, CI: 1.041-6.205), those with active employment during the MCO 1.0 (OR = 4.175, CI: 1.189-14.660) and those with a monthly income of less than RM4000 during the MCO 1.0 (OR = 5.396, CI: 1.362-21.838). In conclusion, policymakers are urged to pay more attention to these vulnerable populations when formulating economic stimulus plans and coping strategies for food insecurity in the post-COVID-19 era.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19, Coronavirus disease 2019; Food security; Lockdown; MCO, Movement Control Order.