Author
Adviser
Food security is determined by several factors including household characteristics and dietary diversity. This study evaluated the food security and dietary diversity of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) member households using Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Household Food Insecurity Access Score (HFIAS) through a phone interview with 30 randomly selected 4Ps households in Barangay Sto. Domingo, Nabua, Camarines Sur. Results showed that the diet of the majority of 4Ps households is diverse with more than half (53%) consuming all 16 food groups. Only nearly a quarter (23%) of the households is food secure whereas the remaining percentage experience food insecurity. Further evaluation of HFIAS scores was done to assess what specific domains have the highest percentage of households experiencing food insecurity. Results revealed that uncertainty/anxiety about food supply had the highest percentage (63%) of households experiencing it followed by insufficient quality (47%) of foods consumed. There is an association between food security and dietary diversity. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis revealed that food security is not associated with household size (p=0.14) while negatively associated with dietary diversity and household income (p=0.00). The more food insecure the household, the less diverse the diet and the lower the income of the household is. A positive very weak association between food security and cash grant (p=0.02) is observed. This indicates that the higher the cash grant given, the more food insecure the household is. Community-based nutrition interventions should be implemented and focused on improving food availability and accessibility, family planning, and household income. Existing interventions such as 4Ps should be strengthened to enhance food access among its beneficiaries.