Korean J Community Nutr.  2011 Dec;16(6):771-781. 10.5720/kjcn.2011.16.6.771.

Validation of Food Security Measures for the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

• Kim K
• Hong SA
• Kwon SO
• Choi BY
• Kim GY
• Oh SY

• KMID: 2267369
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2011.16.6.771

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of food security measures, which was developed based on the US household food security survey module (US HFSSM) with content validity in the Korean population. The reliability and validity were assessed by internal consistency, construct validity and criterion-related validity. The study included 446 households. Among those, 46.2% were households with children. The proportion of food insecure households was 33.3%. Among those, 35.4% and 64.6% households were food insecure with hunger and without hunger, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.84 and the infit value by the Rasch model analysis ranged from 0.68 to 1.43. The scale item response curves by food insecurity severity explained well the nature and characteristics of food security, indicating the highest proportion of "yes" for the items on diet quality, followed by those with diet quantity. The result of criterion-related validity showed that food insecurity status was significantly related in a dose-response manner with the household income level, food expenditure, subjective health state, subjects' educational level. Household food security status was also related to dietary diversity regarding protein foods, fruits and fruit juice, and milk and dairy product. These findings suggest that the food security instrument is reliable and valid and would be used to assess food security status in the Korean population.

Keyword

food security; validity; reliability; measurement; KNHANES

MeSH Terms

Child
Dairy Products
Diet
Family Characteristics
Food Supply
Fruit
Health Expenditures
Humans
Hunger
Milk
Nutrition Surveys
Reproducibility of Results

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Assessment of food security questionnaire severity according to household income 1='Worried food would run out before we got money to buy more.', 2='Food bought didn't last and we didn't have money to get more.', 3='Couldn't afford to eat balanced meals.', 4='Adult cut size of meals or skipped meals.', 5='Respondent ate less than felt he/she should.', 6='Respondent hungry but didn't eat because couldn't afford.', 7='Respondent lost weight.', 8='Adult did not eat for whole day.', 9='Relied on few kinds of low-cost food to feed children.', 10='Couldn't feed children balanced meals.', 11='Children were not eating enough.', 12='Cut size of children's meals.', 13='Children skipped meals.', 14='Children were hungry but didn't eat because couldn't afford.', 15='Children did not eat for whole day.', Questions of 4-1, 8-1, and 13-1 indicate 'how often.'

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