Food Security, Household Size and Anemia Status Among Malaysian Urban Poor Adolescents During the Pandemic

Abstract

Objectives The study aimed to determine the association between food security, household size, and anemia status among Malaysian urban poor adolescents during the pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 204 urban poor adolescents aged between 10–17 years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between November 2021 to January 2022. Food insecurity status was assessed using the 18-item US Household Food Security Survey Module. Anthropometric assessments including weight and height were performed and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. WHO Anthro Plus was used to determine the height-for-age (HAZ) and BMI-for-age (BAZ). Haemoglobin concentration was measured using HemoCue®201+. Results More than half (52.5%) of the adolescents were anemic of which 77.6% were present with mild anemia, especially among females (p < 0.001). Based on BAZ classification, 16.2%, 13.7% and 24.5% of adolescents were thin, overweight, and obese, respectively. Meanwhile, HAZ showed that 6.8% of adolescents were stunted. Majority of the adolescents experienced food insecurity (59.3%). Anaemic adolescents (−0.70 ± 1.04) had significantly lower HAZ than non-anaemic adolescents (−0.31 ± 1.27) (p = 0.016). A significant association was found between BAZ and anemia status (p = 0.004) in which anemic adolescents tended to be overweight than non-anemic adolescents. Significant positive correlations were found between height (r = 0.26), weight (r = 0.26), and BMI (r = 0.19) with haemoglobin levels of adolescents. The household size was significantly correlated with household food security (r = 0.15). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that household size (OR = 1.26, p = 0.018) and female (OR = 4.64, p < 0.001) were likely to be anemic. No significant association was found between food security and anemia status. Conclusions Anemia and food insecurity among urban poor adolescents is highly prevalent. These findings warrant effective measures needed to help eradicate anaemia problems, especially among females and large household size while addressing food insecurity among urban poor adolescents. Funding Sources This research was supported by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme under the Ministry of Education, Malaysia.