Validation of a measure of household hunger for cross-cultural use

This report describes the findings from a validation study of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), a measurement scale to assess the access component of household food insecurity in resource-poor areas. The study was carried out by the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II Project (FANTA-2) in partnership with the FAO and Tufts University. The HFIAS was developed in 2006 with the aim to provide a tool that would generate statistically valid and reliable information about the prevalence of food insecurity at a population level and directly comparable data upon use of the tool in diverse settings. This study examines empirically the internal, external and cross-cultural validity of the HFIAS, using data sets collected in diverse contexts (Mozambique, Malawi, West Bank/Gaza Strip, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa). The study finds out that not all scales tested showed internal validity for all data sets. The authors recommends switching to a new scale: the Household Hunger Scale (HHS). The paper concludes that the HHS addresses many of the limitations reported by users of the HFIAS. The HHS provides a practical method for assessing household malnutrition cross-culturally and that it can facilitate improved geographic targeting of food insecurity interventions, as well as monitoring and evaluation of food security policies and programs.

FANTA, AED - May 2010