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Validation of a Scale to Assess Household Food Insecurity in One Rural and One Periurban Area of Ecuador, with a High Percentage of Migrants

Abstract:

Ecuador is the country that receives and integrates the largest amount of refugees and migrants of Latin America into its population and it has to have valid instruments for measuring and monitoring its food insecurity situation. A food security scale was applied to a sample of households in one rural area (n = 36), and another peri-urban one (n = 153). The validation was made following FAO recommendations. On applying the Raschse model it was observed that the theoretical severity of the questions was reflected similarly in the experiences of the households. The infit statistics for each item are placed in acceptable values (0.7–1.3). The results of the validated scale indicate that the study population finds itself in a serious food insecurity situation.