AMMAN — The National Aid Fund (NAF), in partnership with the
World Food Program, has released a report detailing the results of a nine-month
study on the food security of beneficiaries, a local media outlet reported.
اضافة اعلان
According to the report, the last quarter of 2022 showed
that 6 out of 10 households receiving assistance from the National Aid Fund
suffer from food insecurity or are at risk of it.
The study, which was conducted in three quarterly studies in
2022 and involved 3,000 household interviews, examined the food security of
households receiving unified cash support and monthly assistance.
The World Food Program's food security index revealed that 1
percent of these households are unable to maintain a diverse diet, while 15
percent consume a small amount of food.
Low consumption of nutritious foods
The study found that approximately 64 percent of these
households do not consume fish or red meat, which is the main reason for the
low consumption of iron-rich foods. Additionally, about the same percentage, 54
percent of households, do not consume enough vitamin A-rich foods, potentially
due to financial or material constraints.
The results also showed that 73 percent of households have
resorted to less desirable and cheaper food options to manage food shortages.
Meanwhile, 59 percent of households borrowed food from family or friends, and
33 percent of households reduced the size of meals to meet their nutritional needs.
Spending habitsThe study found that 65 percent of households purchase food
on credit, and 61 percent of households were forced to borrow money to cover
their food needs.
Despite receiving support from NAF, the study confirmed that
the average income per person in these households is JD66, which is less than
the average expenditure of JD129 and less than the poverty line in Jordan of
JD68.
Nearly 90 percent of the targeted households receiving aid
from the fund, as studied, are unable to meet their basic food and shelter
needs without the fund's support, leaving them in a state of extreme poverty.
Population compositionThe study identified the following population composition as
representative of NAF beneficiaries: the average size of the beneficiary
household is 5.1, 48 percent of households are medium-sized with four to six
members, while 27 percent are large with seven or more members.
The average age of the household head is 49 years old, and
18 percent of them are 60 years old or older. The majority of household heads
are married, with a rate of 73 percent, while 16 percent are widows and 11
percent are single (unmarried, divorced, or separated).
Eighty-six percent of household heads have some form of
formal education (46 percent completed primary education and 35 percent
completed secondary education). Finally, 26 percent of households have one or
more members with disabilities, with physical disabilities, being the highest percentage
at 14 percent of households, and 69 percent of households have at least one
member with a chronic illness.
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