A valid two-item food security questionnaire for screening HIV-1 infected patients in a clinical setting.
OBJECTIVE
To validate a two-item food security questionnaire (FSQ) for use in a clinical setting to screen HIV-1 infected patients for food insecurity.


METHODS
The present study was a questionnaire-based survey of forty-nine subjects attending an HIV clinic. Subjects completed a two-item questionnaire and a six-item validated FSQ contemporaneously.


RESULTS
A strong correlation was found between the two-item and six-item FSQ (rho = 0.895; 95 % CI 0.821, 0.940; P < 0.0001). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.94 and 0.90 for the two-item and six-item FSQ, respectively. The two-item FSQ yielded a sensitivity of 100 % (95 % CI 75, 100) and a specificity of 78 % (95 % CI 61, 90). The negative predictive value was found to be 100 % (95 % CI 88, 100).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the present study suggest that the two-item FSQ is a valid, reliable and sensitive screening tool of food insecurity in people living with HIV in a clinical setting.
Young
Jessica
J
Albion Street Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, 150-154 Albion Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
Jeganathan
Sarangapany
S
Houtzager
Louise
L
Di Guilmi
Aaron
A
Purnomo
Julianita
J
D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*