Food Security Status of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the US: Analysis of a National Survey.

OBJECTIVE

To document food insecurity prevalence among a nationally representative sample of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) adults and compare differences in food security status across races/ethnicities in the US.

METHODS

Using 2014 National Health Interview Survey and 2014 NHPI-National Health Interview Survey data, food insecurity among the NHPI population is described and food security status across racial/ethnic groups is compared using Rao-Scott chi-square and multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Food insecurity prevalence was 20.5% among NHPI adults, and NHPI had significantly higher odds of experiencing low and very low food security than white individuals. Food insecurity among Hispanic individuals, black people, and other races/ethnicities was also significantly higher than that among white people. Significant variation in food security status was observed by race/ethnicity (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

This study provides documentation of food insecurity prevalence among NHPI adults and will inform chronic disease and nutrition research and programs conducted with NHPI communities in the US.