Prevalence and factors associated with food security status amongst youths of 18 to 30 years in Moroto district, Karamoja region of Uganda

Background Nearly two billion people worldwide are affected with moderate to severe food insecurity, while over 820 million people go hungry. Youth in Karamoja face challenges of food security, including limited access to land, credit, education, and employment, yet there is limited evidence on the prevalence and determinants of food security among youth in Moroto district hence this study. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using systematic random sampling to recruit 744 youths aged 18 to 30 years. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 29 with both descriptive and inferential statistics at univariate, bivariate and multivariate levels. Results All the households were either moderately food insecure 104 (13.98%) or severely food insecure 640 (86.02%). The factors associated with food security were none formal education (AOR: 0.187, 95% CI: 0.049–0.722, p = 0.015), presence of agriculture extension services (AOR: 0.341, 95% CI: 0.201–0.576, p < 0.001), having a backyard garden (AOR: 0.480, 95% CI: 0.247–0.934, p = 0.031), common food taboos (AOR: 0.480, 95% CI: 0.279–0.825, p = 0.008) and borrowing food (AOR: 3.858, 95% CI: 2.250–6.615, p < 0.001). Conclusion Therefore, there is a critical need for targeted interventions to address this issue and support the younger population's nutritional needs, through active involvement in the food production and food system value chain. The results from this study is expected to support local/ national policy development and intervention which will eventually contribute to a sustainable agricultural production practices and improved livelihood amongst the youth in Karamoja region.