Profiles of Food Security for US Farmworker Households and Factors Related to Dynamic of Change.
OBJECTIVE
We recruited 248 farmworker families with preschool-aged children in North Carolina and examined food security indicators over 24 months to identify food security patterns and examine the dynamic of change over time.


METHODS
Participants in the Niños Sanos study, conducted 2011 to 2014, completed quarterly food security assessments. Based on responses to items in the US Household Food Security Survey Module, we identified different states of food security by using hidden Markov model analysis, and examined factors associated with different states. We delineated factors associated with changes in state by using mixed-effect ordinal logistic regression.


RESULTS
About half of the households (51%) consistently stayed in the most food-secure state. The least food-secure state was transient, with only 29% probability of this state for 2 consecutive quarters. Seasonal (vs migrant) work status, having immigration documents (vs not documented), and season predicted higher levels of food security.


CONCLUSIONS
Heterogeneity in food security among farmworker households calls for tailoring intervention strategies. The transiency and unpredictability of low food security suggest that access to safety-net programs could reduce low food security risk in this population.
Edward H. Ip and Santiago Saldana are with the Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. Thomas A. Arcury is with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Joseph G. Grzywacz is with the Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. Grisel Trejo and Sara A. Quandt are with the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Thomas A. Arcury and Sara A. Quandt are also with the Center for Worker Health, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Edward H
EH
Ip
Edward H. Ip and Santiago Saldana are with the Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. Thomas A. Arcury is with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Joseph G. Grzywacz is with the Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. Grisel Trejo and Sara A. Quandt are with the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Thomas A. Arcury and Sara A. Quandt are also with the Center for Worker Health, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Santiago
S
Saldana
Edward H. Ip and Santiago Saldana are with the Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. Thomas A. Arcury is with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Joseph G. Grzywacz is with the Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. Grisel Trejo and Sara A. Quandt are with the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Thomas A. Arcury and Sara A. Quandt are also with the Center for Worker Health, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Thomas A
TA
Arcury
Edward H. Ip and Santiago Saldana are with the Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. Thomas A. Arcury is with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Joseph G. Grzywacz is with the Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. Grisel Trejo and Sara A. Quandt are with the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Thomas A. Arcury and Sara A. Quandt are also with the Center for Worker Health, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Joseph G
JG
Grzywacz
Edward H. Ip and Santiago Saldana are with the Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. Thomas A. Arcury is with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Joseph G. Grzywacz is with the Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. Grisel Trejo and Sara A. Quandt are with the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Thomas A. Arcury and Sara A. Quandt are also with the Center for Worker Health, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Grisel
G
Trejo
Edward H. Ip and Santiago Saldana are with the Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. Thomas A. Arcury is with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Joseph G. Grzywacz is with the Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. Grisel Trejo and Sara A. Quandt are with the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine. Thomas A. Arcury and Sara A. Quandt are also with the Center for Worker Health, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Sara A
SA
Quandt
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067565:Farmers; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008390:Markov Chains; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014481:United States