Food insecurity among Latinos in California:: A focal groups study.

Objective. To assess the perception and experience with food insecurity among Latinos living in California, as well as their interpretation of the items included in the Food Security Scale. Material and Methods. A series of four focus groups were carried out among 30 adults of Latin-American descent living in California. The participant's responses were coded by two researchers to identify the main issues, and to compare them for assessing their convergence. Results. The items were well understood and were not perceived as offensive. The conceptual framework was confirmed as a "managed process" with different severity levels. The causes of food insecurity were: unemployment, high cost of some food items, and lack of nutritional information. The demand for nutritional education was constant. Conclusion. Interpreting data on food insecurity in Latinos requires proper consideration of their particular perceptions. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.