RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN AGED 6-59 MONTHS IN YENAGOA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA.

Background: Household Food Insecurity (HFI) is closely linked with nutritional status. The Global Report on Food Crises 2019 reported more than 113 million people face food insecurity hence the need to address Food insecurity in line with Sustainable Development Goal 2 which seeks to achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HFI, compare the nutritional status of children aged 6-59 months in food-secure and food-insecure households, and determine the predictors of malnutrition in food-insecure households in Yenagoa LGA, Bayelsa State.

Method: This cross -sectional study recruited 600 participants over three months (December 2022-February 2023) using a multi-stage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire with questions on HFI adapted from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale was used for data collection. Data analysis employed SPSS version 25 with a p-value <0.05 considered significant.

Results: The prevalence of HFI was 81.5%. A significantly higher prevalence of malnutrition was recorded among children in food-insecure (28.4%) compared to those in food-secure (13.5%) households (p=0.001). The predictors of malnutrition in food-insecure households were the mother's level of education (p=0.001), children's vaccination status (p=0.001), number of children in the household (p=0.010), hand hygiene (p=0.048), wealth index (p=0.010), age of the child(p=0.004) and presence of fever in the preceding two weeks to the study(p=0.005).

Conclusion: Because household food insecurity contributes significantly to malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months, the study recommends institutionalization of efforts to improve HFI through nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions.