This study assessed the prevalence of household food insecurity and associated factors among residents of Waliso town. The Prevalence of household food insecurity in Waliso Town was 63.4% (95%CI:-58.6, 68.2) with 15.4%, 28.5%, and 19.4% were mildly, moderately, and severely food insecure respectively. The study revealed that household head employment status of unemployed, self-employed, daily wage laborer, households had large family sizes, multiple dependent family members (< 15 years, > 65 years), Not Owning a house that is living in private rental or Kebele rental house and HH`s in low wealth index (poor) had showed statistically significant association with household food insecurity in the study area.
This study revealed a high prevalence of household food insecurity. The finding of this study was consistent with the study conducted in Addis Ababa(26). Similarly, it was consistent with the study conducted in Gambella town(27). It was also consistent with a study conducted in East Africa(28).
However, it was higher than the findings of studies conducted in India(6), Nigeria`s Ibadan metropolis(29), Ethiopia, Hosanna town(9), and Woliata Sodo town(23). This high prevalence might be attributed to the current high food price inflation, implications of security problems in different parts of the country, and the war in northern parts which hinders farming activity.
but, the magnitude of household food insecurity in this study was less than the magnitude of household food insecurity identified in North India(30) and African countries South Africa Cape Town, Kampala, Accra Ghana, and Nairobi (31–34), and Ethiopia (35, 36). This might be due to the study population for those studies being slum households, resettlement households, and pensioners being apart from this study, which used all randomly selected sampled households without any pre-condition of economic and occupation of households.
The household head Employment was significantly associated with HH food insecurity in this study and households headed by unemployed household head were more food insecure when compared with households headed by merchant HH head. This might be due to the majority of households in this study (> 90%) finding food by purchasing from the market and the fact that household head employment is the main source of earning.
Similarly, households headed by daily wage employees were more food insecure compared with their counterparts. This might be because daily wage laborers earn low and unreliable income which lowers their purchasing power. The finding of this study was consistent with other studies in urban Ethiopia Addis Ababa and Woliata Sodo (23, 36).
According to this study, large family size had a statistically significant association with household food insecurity. Households having family sizes (4–5) and greater than six family members were more likely to be food insecure compared to HHs having less than three family sizes. This might be since sharing of the meal between extended families might affect the quantity and quality of meals consumed by children and women. This finding was consistent with other studies conducted in Uganda, Kampala(31), the South African city of Tshwane(37), and Ethiopia (26, 35).
Also, having dependent family members was significantly associated with household food insecurity and those households that had dependent family members were more food insecure compared with their counterparts. This might be because dependents do not contribute to income generating for food purchases while they share HH`s diet and costs for dependents such as School fees, clothing, and milk for children, and health care costs for elderly dependent family members in addition. This finding was consistent with the study conducted in India (30), Woliata Sodo Town, and Jima town (23, 38).
Additionally, poor households as elucidated by the low wealth index (1st quintile) were more likely to be food insecure, compared with their counterparts. This might be explained by the fact that poor urban households might be unable to purchase adequate food to satisfy their household feeding needs due to the current high food inflation in Ethiopia. The finding of this study was consistent with the study conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa (33, 39), East Africa (28), Areka town, Southern Ethiopia, and Addis Ababa (36, 40).
Besides, in this study, households not owning houses were more food insecure compared with HHs who lived in their own house. Households who lived in Kebele house were more food insecure when compared with households living in their own house. This is might be due to most Kebele house dwellers being low income earners those are inadequate food accessibility. Households who lived in private rental houses were 4 times more likely to be food insecure compared with their counterparts who live in their own house. This might be explained by the fact that, because they might pay extra costs for shelter from their income and the current increase in a house rental, that could reduce their nourishment budget. But living in rental houses was not associated with other studies conducted in urban Ethiopia before(23, 36). This might be due to an increase in the current house rent fee parallel with other consumer goods prices.
However, household head gender was not showed a statistically significant association with household food insecurity in this study. This might be due to the more than 75% of household heads in this study were male. But the gender of the HH head was significantly associated with household food insecurity in the study conducted in Brazil(41), And Ethiopia before (42).
Similarly, household head educational attainment had not been associated with household food insecurity in Woliso Town. This might be due to the low payment an educated person earns, and it might be due to the current high inflation in the country. However, household head educational attainment had shown statically significant association with food insecurity in the study conducted in Nigeria(29), Kenya(43), and Ethiopia (36, 40).