Table 5.
Correlations between food insecurity and dietary, health and socio-economic characteristics of Syrian mothers
| Probability of being moderately and severely food insecure | Probability of being severely food insecure | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Correlation coefficient (r)† | P | Correlation coefficient (r)† | P | |
| Dietary diversity and meal patterns | ||||
| Food group diversity score* (n 427) | –0·283 | 0·000 | –0·251 | 0·000 |
| Number of main meals per day* (n 425) | –0·105 | 0·042 | –0·104 | 0·032 |
| Number of snacks per day* (n 411) | –0·143 | 0·004 | –0·103 | 0·038 |
| Mental health indicators‡ | ||||
| Current state of PTSD (n 426) | 0·214 | 0·000 | 0·197 | 0·000 |
| Depression screening (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) (n 407) | 0·353 | 0·000 | 0·175 | 0·000 |
| Mental health status (n 426) | 0·247 | 0·000 | 0·190 | 0·000 |
| Anaemia and nutritional status§ | ||||
| Anaemia status (n 423) | 0·035 | 0·473 | –0·010 | 0·837 |
| Malnutrition using MUAC (n 425) | 0·062 | 0·201 | 0·006 | 0·902 |
| BMI (n 351) | –0·005 | 0·920 | –0·015 | 0·776 |
| Socio-economic and household characteristics‖ | ||||
| Crowding index score* (n 423) | 0·263 | 0·000 | 0·167 | 0·001 |
| Monthly household income (n 406) | –0·242 | 0·000 | –0·165 | 0·001 |
| Father’s employment status (n 411) | –0·208 | 0·000 | –0·138 | 0·005 |
| Mother’s education level (n 423) | –0·179 | 0·000 | –0·063 | 0·196 |
| Number of children < 5 years* (n 427) | 0·175 | 0·000 | 0·085 | 0·078 |
| Reliance on savings or subsidies (n 426) | 0·144 | 0·003 | 0·158 | 0·001 |
| UNHCR refugee registration status (n 419) | 0·141 | 0·004 | 0·067 | 0·170 |
| Head of the household (n 420) | 0·119 | 0·015 | 0·133 | 0·006 |
| Mother’s employment status (n 420) | 0·085 | 0·083 | 0·113 | 0·021 |
| Healthcare service utilisation¶ | ||||
| Sources of health messages from healthcare professionals only (n 426) | –0·105 | 0·031 | –0·111 | 0·022 |
| Mother’s use of micronutrient supplements (n 422) | –0·073 | 0·133 | –0·030 | 0·534 |
PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire-9; MUAC, mid-upper arm circumference.
Indicate continuous variables.
Point biserial correlation test was used for continuous and dichotomous variables. Pearson’s correlation test was used for continuous variable. The strength of correlation is interpreted as follows: up to 0 2 (very weak), up to 0 5 (weak), up to 0 7 (moderate) and up to 0 9 (high). Significantly different at P-values < 0·05.
Current state of PTSD (no v. yes), depression screening (minimal or mild depression (PHQ-9 < 10) v. moderate or severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10)(32)), mental health status (no PTSD and/or moderate/severe depression v. PTSD and/or moderate/severe depression).
Anaemia status (no v. yes), classification of malnutrition using MUAC (undernourished/normal weight v. overweight/obese), BMI (underweight/normal weight v. overweight/obese).
Monthly household income (≤ 750 000 LBP v. > 750 000 LBP), father’s employment status (full-time job v. no job/part-time job), mother’s education level (intermediate school or lower v. secondary school or higher), reliance on savings or subsidies (no v. yes), UNHCR refugee registration status (no v. yes), head of the household (father/family-in-law v. mother/both parents), mother’s employment status (no paid job/housewife v. paid job).
Sources of health messages from healthcare professionals only (no v. yes), mother’s use of micronutrient supplements (no v. yes).