Top

BMC Public Health

Published in:

Open Access 01-12-2008 | Research article

Internal validity of a household food security scale is consistent among diverse populations participating in a food supplement program in Colombia

Authors: Michelle Hackett, Hugo Melgar-Quinonez, Martha C Alvarez Uribe

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2008

Abstract

Objective

We assessed the validity of a locally adapted Colombian Household Food Security Scale (CHFSS) used as a part of the 2006 evaluation of the food supplement component of the Plan for Improving Food and Nutrition in Antioquia, Colombia (MANA – Plan Departamental de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional de Antioquia).

Methods

Subjects included low-income families with pre-school age children in MANA that responded affirmatively to at least one CHFSS item (n = 1,319). Rasch Modeling was used to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the items through measure and INFIT values. Differences in CHFSS performance were assessed by area of residency, socioeconomic status and number of children enrolled in MANA. Unidimensionality of a scale by group was further assessed using Differential Item Functioning (DIF).

Results

Most CHFSS items presented good fitness with most INFIT values within the adequate range of 0.8 to 1.2. Consistency in item measure values between groups was found for all but two items in the comparison by area of residency. Only two adult items exhibited DIF between urban and rural households.

Conclusion

The results indicate that the adapted CHFSS is a valid tool to assess the household food security of participants in food assistance programs like MANA.

Available only for authorised users

Anderson SA: Core indicators of nutritional state for difficult-to-sample populations. J Nutr. 1990, 120 (Suppl 11): 1559-600.

United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization: Rome Declaration on World Food Security. World Food Summit. 2006, Accessed: January 30, 2006, [ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0750e/a0750e00.pdf]November . Rome, Italy

United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization: Rome Declaration on World Food Security. World Food Summit. 1996, Accessed: June 6, 2006, [http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/w3613e/w3613e00.htm]November . Rome, Italy

Gobernación de Antioquia y Universidad Católica de Oriente: Todos Participaron: Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional para el Desarrollo Local. Medellín, Colombia. 2004

Gobernación de Antioquia: Indicadores básicos: contexto socio demográfico, estado nutricional, de salud e ingesta dietética de los niños que participan en el programa de complementación alimentaria alianza MANA. Medellín, Colombia. 2006

Frongillo EA: Validation of measures of food insecurity and hunger. J Nutr. 1999, 129 (2S Suppl): 506S-9S. ReviewPubMed

Smith L: The use of household expenditure surveys for the assessment of food insecurity. International Food Policy Research Institute. Washington, DC. Accessed July 6, 2007, [http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/Y4249E/y4249e08.htm]

Coates J, Frongillo EA, Rogers BL, Webb P, Wilde PE, Houser R: Commonalities in the experience of household food insecurity across cultures: what are measures missing?. J Nutr. 2006, 136 (5): 1438S-48S.PubMed

Keenan DP, Olson C, Hersey JC, Parmer SM: Measures of food insecurity/security. J Nutr Educ. 2001, 33 (Suppl 1): S49-58. 10.1016/S1499-4046(06)60069-9.CrossRefPubMed

10.

Wehler C, Scott R, Anderson J: The community childhood identification project: a model of domestic hunger-demonstration project in Seattle, Washington. J Nutr Educ Behav. 1992, 24: S29-35.CrossRef

11.

Lorenzana PA, Mercado C: Measuring household food security in poor Venezuelan households. Public Health Nutr. 2002, 5: 851-7. 10.1079/PHN2002377.CrossRefPubMed

12.

Alvarez MC, Estrada A, Montoya EC, Melgar-Quinonez HR: Validation of a household food security scale in Antioquia, Colombia. Salud Publica Mex. 2006, 48 (6): 474-81.CrossRefPubMed

13.

Nord M, Andrews M, Carlson S: Measuring food security in the United States: household food security in the United States, 2002. Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report Number 25. Washington, DC. 2003

14.

Usfar AA, Fahmida U, Februhartanty J: Household food security status measured by the US-Household Food Security/Hunger Survey Module [US-FSSM] is in line with coping strategy indicators found in urban and rural Indonesia. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2007, 16 (2): 368-74.PubMed

15.

Rose D: Economic determinants and dietary consequences of food insecurity in the United States. J Nutr. 1999, 129 (2S Suppl): 517S-20S. ReviewPubMed

16.

Opsomer JD, Jensen HH, Pan S: An evaluation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture food security measure with generalized linear mixed models. J Nutr. 2003, 133 (2): 421-7.PubMed

17.

Derrickson JP, Fisher AG, Anderson JE: The core food security module scale measure is valid and reliable when used with Asians and Pacific Islanders. J Nutr. 2000, 130 (11): 2666-74.PubMed

18.

Hackett M, Melgar-Quiñonez H, Pérez-Escamilla R, Segall-Correa AM: Gender of respondent does not affect the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Household Food Security Scale. Press at the International Journal of Epidemiology. 2008, 1-9.

19.

Bond TG, Fox CM: Applying the Rasch Model Fundamental Measurement in the Human Sciences. 2001, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc

20.

Hamilton WL, Cook JT, Thompson WW, Buron LF, Frongillo EA, Olson CM, Wehler CA: Household Food Security in the United States in 1995: Technical Report of the Food Security Measurement Project. Report prepared for the USDA, Food Consumer Service, Alexandria, VA. 1997

21.

Carlson SJ, Andrews MS, Bickel GW: Measuring food insecurity and hunger in the United States: development of a national benchmark measure and prevalence estimates. J Nutr. 1999, 129 (2S Suppl): 510S-516S.PubMed

22.

Wilde PE: Differential response patterns affect food-security prevalence estimates for households with and without children. J Nutr. 2004, 134 (8): 1910-5.PubMed

23.

Connell CL, Nord M, Lofton KL, Yadrick K: Food security of older children can be assessed using a standardized survey instrument. J Nutr. 2004, 134 (10): 2566-72.PubMed

24.

Gulliford MC, Mahabir D, Nunes C, Rocke B: Self-administration of a food security scale by adolescents: item functioning, socio-economic position and food intakes. Public Health Nutr. 2005, 8 (7): 853-60. 10.1079/PHN2005728.CrossRefPubMed

25.

Melgar-Quinonez HR, Nord M, Perez-Escamilla R, Segall-Correa AM: Psychometric properties of a modified US-household food security survey module in Campinas, Brazil. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008, 62: 665-673. 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602760.CrossRefPubMed

26.

Hackett M, Melgar-Quiñonez H, Hernandez K, Zubieta AC, Hernandez K: Food security and household food supplies in rural Ecuador. Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición. 2007, 57 (1): 10-7.PubMed

27.

Jackson TR, Draugalis JR, Slack MK, Zachry WM: Validation of authentic performance assessment: a process suited for Rasch Modeling. Am J Pharm Edu. 2002, 66: 233-42.

28.

Green KE: Survey development and validation with the Rasch Model. International Conference on Questionnaire Development, Evaluation, and Testing. Charleston, SC. Nov 14–17, 2002

29.

Smith AB, Wright EP, Rush R, Stark DP, Velikova G, Selby PJ: Rasch analysis of the dimensional structure of the hospital anxiety and depression scale. Psychooncology. 2006, 15 (9): 817-27. 10.1002/pon.1015.CrossRefPubMed

30.

Lawton G, Lundgren-Nilsson A, Biering-Sorensen F, Tesio L, Slade A, Penta M, Grimby G, Ring H, Tennant A: Cross-cultural validity of FIM in spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord. 2006, 44: 746-52. 10.1038/sj.sc.3101895.CrossRefPubMed

31.

Wang WC, Yao G, Tsai YJ, Wang JD, Hsieh CL: Validating, improving reliability, and estimating correlation of the four subscales in the WHOQOL-BREF using multidimensional Rasch analysis. Quality of Life Research. 2006, 15: 607-20. 10.1007/s11136-005-4365-7.CrossRefPubMed

32.

Cauffman E, MacIntosh R: A Rasch Differential Item Functioning analysis of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument identifying race and gender differential item functioning among juvenile offenders. Educ and Psych Measurement. 2006, 66;3: 502-21. 10.1177/0013164405282460.CrossRef

33.

Melgar-Quinonez HR, Zubieta AC, MkNelly B, Nteziyaremye A, Gerardo MF, Dunford C: Household food insecurity and food expenditure in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, And the Philippines. J Nutr. 2006, 136: 1431S-7S.PubMed

34.

Perez-Escamilla R, Segall-Correa AM, Kurdian Maranha L, Archanjo Sampaio MF, Marin-Leon L, Panigassi G: An adapted version of the U.S. Department of Agriculture food insecurity module is a valid tool for assessing household food insecurity in Campinas, Brazil. J Nutr. 2004, 134: 1923-8.PubMed

35.

Ohls J, Radbill L, Schirm A: Household Food Security in the United States, 1995–1997: Technical Issues and Statistical Report. 2001, Accessed 11 February 2007, [http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/MENU/Published/FoodSecurity/fstech.htm]

36.

Coates J, Wilde PE, Webb P, Rogers BL, Houser RF: Comparison of a qualitative and a quantitative approach to developing a household food insecurity scale for Bangladesh. J Nutr. 2006, 136: 1420S-30S.PubMed

37.

Radimer KL, Olson CM, Greene JC, Campbell CC, Habicht JP: Understanding hunger and developing indicators to assess it in women and children. J Nutr Educ. 1992, 24: 36S-45S.CrossRef

38.

Gulliford MC, Mahabir D, Rocke B: Reliability and validity of a short form household food security scale in a Caribbean community. BMC Public Health. 2004, 16;4: 22-10.1186/1471-2458-4-22.CrossRef

The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/175/prepub

Title: Internal validity of a household food security scale is consistent among diverse populations participating in a food supplement program in Colombia
Authors: Michelle Hackett
Hugo Melgar-Quinonez
Martha C Alvarez Uribe
Publication date: 01-12-2008
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2008
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-175

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Internal validity of a household food security scale is consistent among diverse populations participating in a food supplement program in Colombia

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2008

"That is why I stopped the ART": Patients' & providers' perspectives on barriers to and enablers of HIV treatment adherence in a South African workplace programme

Predicting the onset and persistence of episodes of depression in primary health care. The predictD-Spain study: Methodology

Racial and ethnic differences in personal cervical cancer screening amongst post-graduate physicians: Results from a cross-sectional survey

Secular changes in height, weight and body mass index in Hong Kong Children

Mental health literacy and attitudes in a Swedish community sample – Investigating the role of personal experience of mental health care

The risk of pathogenic intestinal parasite infections in Kisii Municipality, Kenya