Food insecurity is associated with acculturation and social networks in Puerto Rican households.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether acculturation and social networks influence household food insecurity in an inner-city Puerto Rican community.


METHODS
A survey was administered to 200 low-income female Puerto Rican caregivers with at least 1 child 12-72 months old living in Hartford, CT. Food insecurity was measured with the Radimer/Cornell Hunger Scale. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify food insecurity risk factors.


RESULTS
Significant food insecurity risk factors included: being unemployed (odds ratio: 2.69), being single (2.34), being born in the United States (2.68), speaking only Spanish (3.15), planning to return to Puerto Rico (4.58), almost never/never attending Hispanic cultural events (6.85), and food stamps lasting less than a month (7.74).


CONCLUSIONS
Low levels of acculturation, lack of social networks, and poor food stamps management skills may influence household food insecurity.
Dhokarh
Rajanigandha
R
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Himmelgreen
David A
DA
Peng
Yu-Kuei
YK
Segura-Pérez
Sofia
S
Hromi-Fiedler
Amber
A
Pérez-Escamilla
Rafael
R
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D007223:Infant; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011647:Puerto Rico; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors