Hunger in legal immigrants in California, Texas, and Illinois.
OBJECTIVE
This study determined the prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in low-income legal immigrants.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Latino and Asian legal immigrants attending urban clinics and community centers in California, Texas, and Illinois with a food security questionnaire.


RESULTS
Among 630 respondents, 40% of the households were food insecure without hunger and 41% were food insecure with hunger. Independent predictors of hunger were income below federal poverty level (odds ratio [OR] = 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.72, 4.30), receipt of food stamps (OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.57, 4.09), Latino ethnicity (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.49, 3.82), and poor English (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.10, 2.82).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of hunger among low-income legal immigrants is unacceptably high. Access to food assistance programs is important for the health and well-being of this population.
Kasper
J
J
Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Mass. 02118, USA. jennifer.kasper@bmc.org
Gupta
S K
SK
Tran
P
P
Cook
J T
JT
Meyers
A F
AF
D000328:Adult; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002160:Cambodia / Q000208:ethnology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D007087:Illinois / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology