The Overlooked Burden of Food Insecurity among Asian Americans: Results from the California Health Interview Survey

Monideepa B. Becerra, Salome Kapella Mshigeni and Benjamin J. Becerra
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Monideepa B. Becerra: Department of Health Science and Human Ecology, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
Salome Kapella Mshigeni: Department of Health Science and Human Ecology, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
Benjamin J. Becerra: School of Allied Health Professions, Loma Linda University, 24951 North Circle Drive, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: Objective : Food insecurity remains a major public health issue in the United States, though lack of research among Asian Americans continue to underreport the issue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and burden of food insecurity among disaggregated Asian American populations. Methods : The California Health Interview Survey, the largest state health survey, was used to assess the prevalence of food insecurity among Asian American subgroups with primary exposure variable of interest being acculturation. Survey-weighted descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable robust Poisson regression analyses, were conducted and alpha less than 0.05 was used to denote significance. Results : The highest prevalence of food insecurity was found among Vietnamese (16.42%) and the lowest prevalence was among Japanese (2.28%). A significant relationship was noted between prevalence of food insecurity and low acculturation for Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese subgroups. Language spoken at home was significant associated with food insecurity. For example, among Chinese, being food insecure was associated with being bilingual (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.51) or speaking a non-English language at home (PR = 7.24), while among South Asians, it was associated with speaking a non-English language at home was also related to higher prevalence (PR = 3.62), as compared to English speakers only. Likewise, being foreign-born also related to being food insecure among Chinese (PR = 2.31), Filipino (PR = 1.75), South Asian (PR = 3.35), Japanese (PR = 2.11), and Vietnamese (PR = 3.70) subgroups, when compared to their US-born counterparts. Conclusion : There is an imperative need to address food insecurity burden among Asian Americans, especially those who have low acculturation.

Keywords: Asian Americans; California Health Interview Survey; food security; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); acculturation; English language use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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