The association between food production, food security, household consumer behaviour and waist-hip ratio amongst women in smallholder farming households in Kilifi County, Kenya

Food insecurity disproportionately affects smallholder farming households and within them women, who bear primary caregiving responsibilities and contend with time and resource constraints that heighten their vulnerability to adverse nutrition-related health outcomes. This study cross-sectionally investigates the association between food production practices, household consumer behaviour, and the experience of food insecurity with women's waist-hip ratio (WHR), a key indicator of abdominal obesity, in a coastal community in Kenya. In total, 394 households were randomly selected from a list of farming households in Kaloleni and Rabai sub-counties of Kilifi. Trained enumerators administered questionnaires to adult female family members who play a pivotal role in household management. Household dietary diversity scores (HDDS) were computed from 16 food groups consumed in the 7 days preceding the survey. Waist-hip measurements focused on these females, representing vulnerable populations. Pathway-based regression models were constructed using STATA version 13 (p < 0.05). Most households practised mixed farming (59.9%) and monocropping (73.2%) and most female respondents were widowed (75.1%) with limited education (73.1% had no formal education) and over 20 years of farming experience. Food insecurity was prevalent, affecting 80.7% of households. Limited dietary diversity was noted with an average HDDS of 9. The most commonly consumed foods were cereals, spices, condiments and beverages, while meat, eggs and fruits were infrequently eaten. An inverse association was observed between HDDS and WHR (standardised regression coefficient = −0.1328; p = 0.026) but while food insecurity was inversely associated with both HDD and WHR, these associations did not reach statistical significance (HDDS-standardised regression coefficient −0.0294; p = 0.592: WHR-standardised regression coefficient −0.0155; p = 0.791). Existing research has primarily addressed the undernutrition and hunger-related impacts of food insecurity. The findings underscore the need to better understand the complex interplay between food insecurity and nutritional health, including markers of adiposity, to effectively promote health.