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Exploring the Impact of Crises on Food Security in Lebanon: Results from a National Cross-Sectional Study

Author

Listed:
  • Maha Hoteit

    (Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon
    Lebanese Food, Drugs and Chemical Administration, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon)

  • Youssef Al-Atat

    (Faculty of Science, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon)

  • Hussein Joumaa

    (Faculty of Science, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon)

  • Suheir El Ghali

    (Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon)

  • Rania Mansour

    (Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon)

  • Reem Mhanna

    (Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon)

  • Fatima Sayyed-Ahmad

    (Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon)

  • Pascale Salameh

    (Lebanese Food, Drugs and Chemical Administration, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon
    Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Beirut 6573, Lebanon
    INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut 0961, Lebanon
    Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, 2408 Nicosia, Cyprus)

  • Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh

    (World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo 11371, Egypt)

Abstract

This study aims to explore the prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among Lebanese households since the ordeals of COVID-19, economic crisis, and Beirut port explosions. At the core of the study, a mobile application entitled Nutrition Assessment System (NAS) that simplified the data collection was used as toolkit and a technical test was carried out in all Lebanese governorates between November 2020 and March 2021. Findings show that food insecurity is an immediate problem for households in Beirut and in many governorates in Lebanon. Nine in every 16 households ate less than 2 meals per day and more than 70% of them skipped their meals to spare food. Even though half the population studied had a low food consumption score, 82.4% of the people were not relying on livelihood coping strategies. However, more than three out of ten of these households relied on at least three food-based coping strategies. In addition, as for the livelihoods, this assessment found that most Lebanese households reported a drop in income along with an expansion in debt incurrence in the last 24 months to be able to buy food. Improving food security in Lebanon requires effort not only on the part of the government, but through regional and international actions.

Suggested Citation

  • Maha Hoteit & Youssef Al-Atat & Hussein Joumaa & Suheir El Ghali & Rania Mansour & Reem Mhanna & Fatima Sayyed-Ahmad & Pascale Salameh & Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh, 2021. "Exploring the Impact of Crises on Food Security in Lebanon: Results from a National Cross-Sectional Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:8753-:d:609141
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hala Ghattas & AnnieBelle J Sassine & Karin Seyfert & Mark Nord & Nadine R Sahyoun, 2015. "Prevalence and Correlates of Food Insecurity among Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon: Data from a Household Survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-10, June.
    2. Nasrin Omidvar & Davod Ahmadi & Kate Sinclair & Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez, 2019. "Food security in selected Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries: an inter-country comparison," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(3), pages 531-540, June.
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