Material security as a measure of poverty: a validation study with people who use drugs

Poverty and socioeconomic status (SES) are conventionally measured through indicators of income, wealth, education and/or occupation, but for some populations such as people who use drugs (PWUD), these measures may not sufficiently capture material well-being. This paper examines the reliability and validity of material security, measured through a modified Family Resource Scale (FRS) as an alternative measure of poverty, comparing this to other measures in the context of exposure to violence among PWUD using multivariable generalized estimating equations. The FRS demonstrated good reliability (α=0.83) as well as content, criterion, and construct validity. Three factors were detected within the FRS representing access to housing, economic resources, and basic needs and services. In contrast to other SES measures that had no or positive relationships with exposure to violence, higher FRS scores were associated with lower odds of exposure to violence in final analyses. The FRS thus adds an important perspective to the measurement of poverty, with potential relevance to other populations.