Background: Food insecurity represents a critical public health challenge in Somalia, where four decades of state fragility, environmental vulnerability, and sociopolitical instability have created chronic food access limitations. Although existing research has primarily examined macro-level determinants, there remains a substantial gap in understanding how individual-level sociodemographic factors influence food security outcomes among various population subgroups. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Somalia Demographic and Health Survey involving 52,154 participants aged 13 years and above. A multistage stratified cluster sampling technique ensured representation across urban, rural, and nomadic populations. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and household food insecurity, with adjusted odds ratios calculated to identify independent predictors. Results: Significant disparities were observed across multiple dimensions. Educational attainment demonstrated strong protective effects, with higher education reducing food insecurity odds by 82% compared with no formal education. Middle-aged adults divorced and widowed individuals, and female-headed households showed elevated vulnerability. Extreme regional heterogeneity was observed, with residents in Bakool and Gedo facing more than 13 times greater risk than those in Awdal. Rural and nomadic populations had significantly higher odds than urban dwellers. Conclusion: Food insecurity in Somalia operates through complex, intersecting pathways of sociodemographic vulnerability and pronounced geographical inequalities. Food insecurity in Somalia results from a complex, multifaceted crisis spanning social, political, economic, and environmental domains. Effective interventions must simultaneously address educational infrastructure development, provide targeted support for vulnerable demographic groups, and implement place-based strategies that recognize the extreme geographic clustering of vulnerability across Somalia’s diverse regions.

Purpose: The engineering courses offered in Somali universities attract many students, ranging between 300 and 500 every semester, making the management and delivery of the course challenging. The increasing popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has led to rapid growth in enrollment, posing difficulties in effectively managing and delivering content to large volumes of learners. To this end, this study aimed to explore the influence of MOOC implementation factors on learners’ continuance intention and satisfaction to provide insights that can enhance the learning experience and ensure long-term engagement.Design/methodology/approach: The study utilized a survey approach based on an extensive literature review to collect data on the challenges faced by Somali universities in managing and delivering engineering courses. The survey included a series of questions, and 148 responses were collected from students enrolled in different programs. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling and deep neural network approaches.Findings: The result demonstrated that MOOC implementation factors, including course design quality, instructor reputation, self-paced flexibility, information relevance, platform usability and student support services, significantly affect students’ continuance intention and satisfaction. Therefore, the study recommends universities should enhance MOOC implementation factors to improve the quality of teaching and increase students’ continuance intention to study in a MOOC environment.Originality/value: The study provides empirical evidence on how MOOC implementation factors affect the level of satisfaction and continuance intention of engineering students. It suggests that the findings could be useful for university management and lecturers to increase teaching and learning quality in the course and develop new strategies and approaches that suit modern-day learners. The study also aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of class delivery and improve student engagement in the learning process.