Abstract

This study identified household food insecurity and coping strategies among rural dwellers in ensuring food security in Isu Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Food insecurity is when people at all times have incomplete (physical and economic) access to sufficient and safe food to healthy life however, Nigeria cities is growing faster than the provision of social services including food and households employ a range of coping strategies during times of food insecurity. Therefore, this study used a cross sectional study involving a member from each selected household which was used to assess the coping strategies of household food insecurity. Sample size was calculated using the prevalence rate of household food insecurity which is 53%, which gave total number of 421. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive inferential statistics to analyze the level of food security; Pearson's correlation was used to analyze the relationship between food security status coping strategy, food consumption pattern and mothers Body Mass Index (BMI). The results of this study revealed on level household Food Security Status that only few (11.6%) ofthe respondents were food secure, majority (34.9%) were food insecure with hunger (moderate) while (31.4%) were food insecure with hunger (severe) and lavish in hunger. Assessment of coping strategy result revealed that majority (75.1%) of the households limit portion sizes at meal times therefore (40.4%) of households adopted moderates level of coping strategy, this indicates that no matter the level of strategy adopted by the households the families are food insecure. Health status of household, majority (66.3%) of the household suffers fever which is a common disease and is easily treated and also like going to check-up in the hospital. Assessment of food consumption pattern, majority (74.8%) had poor food consumption pattern though their main source of food are through purchase and own production. The food intake for adults in the household has been reduced to an extent that implies that adults have repeatedly experienced the physical sensation of hunger. Anthropometric Status, The households had a highest mean on the obese (34.46 土 2.08 kg), overweight (26.26 土 1.06 kg) and normal (21.31 土 1.69 kg) while the underweight has the least mean (15.68 ± 1.87 kg). On the Pearson correlation reveals that food security has a positive and significant relationship with coping strategy