Food-Poverty Status and Food Insecurity in Rural West Lombok Based on Mothers' Food Expenditure Equivalency

Abstract

Because most food consumed by mothers was purchased, financial security plays a key role in determining family food sufficiency, in terms of both quantity and variety. Mothers' BMI status differed between the food-poor and non-food-poor groups, but the difference was not statistically significant, suggesting that in our setting the food-poverty line cannot be used to identify physiological need but is rather more of a social and economic indicator. We suggest the use of US HFSSM questionnaires as a simple alternative means to assess both food-poverty and food-security status, mainly because the method is simple to apply and corroborates our findings using area-specific FEEs. Finally, our study results suggest a number of follow-up investigations.