Between Two Worlds: Challenges Measuring Food Insecurity with a Standardized Scale in a Multiethnic Peri-Urban...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Anthropology

Background:

• Household food security is globally assessed using standardized instruments focused on food access.
• Many instruments, like Brazil's EBIA, derive from the US Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM).
• The applicability of these instruments in non-Western contexts is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how Indigenous residents of Parque das Tribos in Manaus, Brazil, perceived the EBIA's effectiveness in capturing their food security experiences.
• To identify limitations of standardized food security instruments in diverse cultural settings.

Main Methods:

• Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with Indigenous residents.
• Qualitative data were collected to understand participant perceptions of the EBIA.

Main Results:

• Participants expressed frustration with the EBIA's language, citing comprehension difficulties and feelings of inadequacy.
• The EBIA was perceived as inadequately capturing local food access challenges, leading to potential miscalculation of community food insecurity.
• Findings highlight a disconnect between the standardized instrument and the lived realities of the community.

Conclusions:

• Standardized food security instruments may not be universally applicable without cultural adaptation.
• Adapting instruments like the EBIA to local contexts is essential for accurate food security assessment.
• Preserving comparability across settings while ensuring local relevance is key for effective food security measurement.