Nakasiba, Linnet Betty2026-08-062026-08-062025-09Nakasiba, L. B. (2025). Household food security and dietary patterns in urban settings of Wakiso district, central Uganda. Kyambogo university (unpublished work)https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12504/3030Xiii, 84 P. :Background: Food insecurity is a barrier to development that arises from a variety of causes in the local, national, regional, and worldwide domains of human existence. The general objective of the study was to assess the household food security situation, dietary patterns and associated factors among urban households in Wakiso district. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used and two of the four municipalities participated. Using a multi-stage systematic random sampling procedure, data was collected from 217 households with 72 as a sampling interval. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software, version 29.0. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Coping Strategies Index (CSI), Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) and Food Consumption Score (FCS) were computed using World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse relationship between the multiple dependent household variables and household food insecurity. Level of significance was set at 0.05 with a 95% level of confidence. Results: The study results show 96.0% of the households experienced some level of food insecurity with mean (sd) food insecurity score being 10.8 (6.3). Portion reduction, portion limitation and getting food on credit emerged as the most commonly used coping strategies. Differences in household food insecurity scores were significant with gender of the household head (p < 0.01) and municipality of residence (p < 0.01). Households that skipped at least one meal were 52.2% with breakfast as the most skipped meal of the day. Household dietary diversity categorization showed 36.0% of the households had a desirable dietary diversity score of ≥ 6 food groups. Food consumption status indicated not a single household had an acceptable food consumption score. Differences in household dietary diversity scores were significant with existence of assets to supplement food sources (p = 0.039). There was a significant positive correlation between HFIAS and CSI (r = 0.650, p = 0.001), and a negative correlation between HFIAS and FCS (r = -0.338, p = 0.001) and HFIAS and DDS (r = -0.385, p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that gender of the household head (p = 0.002) and existence of assets (p = 0.041) were significantly associated with household food insecurity. Conclusions: Food insecurity and dietary diversity were significantly influenced by gender of the household head and existence of assets implying a gap in achieving food security. Gender-sensitive empowerment programmes could be desirable policy interventions that also enhances dietary diversity for urban settings of Wakiso districts and elsewhere in the country.enFood securityFood consumptionWakiso District (Uganda)UrbanizationThesis