USDA Dietary Behavior Survey and Food Security Core Module

USDA Dietary Behavior Survey and Food Security Core Module

Principal Investigator: Leslie Cunningham-Sabo, Ph.D.
Coordinator: Shirley Pareo, M.S.
Start and End Dates: 9/01/02 - 2/28/05
Source of Funding: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Various causes are proposed for the current widely-recognized issue of obesity and the profound increases in the incidence of obesity throughout the country, and especially among American Indian populations. One possible cause is "food insecurity." Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate or safe foods, or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods is called "food insecurity." To date, the potential link between food insecurity and obesity has been a focus for research for other ethnic groups but it has not been established for American Indian populations.

The purpose of this project is to test the extent to which surveys that were developed to study this link for non-Indian groups actually measure food insecurity and the dietary patterns of American Indian people. This project, funded by the USDA, involves testing the Food Security Core Module in the Pueblos of Laguna and Acoma. Thirty students from each grade - 7th, 9th, and 11th - will participate to test the validity of the surveys at two points in time.

The study will provide the necessary background to continue studying the link between food insecurity and food patterns among American Indians, and the relationship of food insecurity of families and the dietary patterns of their children.

For more information about this project, please contact Shirley Pareo, (505) 272-4462 or spareo@salud.unm.edu.