Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Well-validated experience-based food insecurity (FI) scales have been extensively used to assess FI in general populations across the globe. However, the validity of these scales in Indigenous communities remains uncertain. The objective of this evidence-informed expert synthesis was to assess the validity of experience-based FI scales among Indigenous Peoples. We examined peer-reviewed articles that (1) used an experience-based FI scale; (2) were conducted in an Indigenous Community or involved a survey specifically targeting Indigenous or Aboriginal peoples, regardless of where they lived; and (3) included data that allowed assessment of scale psychometric and/or predictive and convergent validity. We identified 21 articles of studies conducted in Africa, Latin America, North America, and the Western Pacific regions. Findings suggest that, in Indigenous communities, experience-based FI scales have adequate face validity, psychometric validity, convergent validity (associations between FI and dietary intake), and predictive validity (associations between FI and socioeconomic or psycho-emotional stress indicators). However, these scales may not fully capture additional context-specific dimensions of FI related to traditional or ancestral food systems. Research is needed to identify core FI scale items that are broadly applicable across Indigenous population complemented with additional context-specific culturally relevant measures. Such efforts would improve large-scale assessments of FI in highly vulnerable communities that are often excluded from national surveillance and monitoring systems, provide a more accurate understanding of the distribution and magnitude of FI, and suggest ways to address it among Indigenous Peoples in different parts of the world.
Institution: Yale University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,353
OpenAlex ID: W7213967028