Award Date

5-15-2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

Community Health Sciences

First Committee Member

Courtney Coughenour

Second Committee Member

Marya Shegog

Third Committee Member

Francisco Sy

Fourth Committee Member

Ian McDonough

Number of Pages

146

Abstract

Filipino Americans comprise over half of the Asian American population in Clark County, Nevada. In 2016, 1.6% of Asian American households in Clark County reported being food insecure, which was considerably lower than food insecurity rates for White, non-Hispanic households (14.5%). Yet, Clark County demographic data reveals that 24% of Filipino-headed households report incomes at 200% or below the federal poverty level compared to 33% for Whites. Food insecurity rates specific to Filipino Americans in Clark County are lacking. Moreover, available food insecurity data aggregates Filipinos with other Asian American subgroups, which ignores the heterogeneity inherent to the Asian American community. In order to evaluate food insecurity rates in Filipino Americans, questions from the USDA 6-Item Short Form Food Security Survey Module was used, as part of a larger health needs assessment conducted among 200 Filipino Americans residing in Clark County. Study participants were recruited at Filipino ethnic club events, Filipino-based organizations, Filipino church proceedings, and a Filipino grocery store. The purpose of this study was to identify and better understand the contextual factors influencing food insecurity in this study population, and to apply the Social Ecological Model as a theoretical framework. Overall, 27.1% of respondents reported experiencing food insecurity in the past year. A Chi-square test demonstrated a statistically significant difference in this Filipino American study sample’s food insecurity rates compared to the reported Clark County food insecurity rates for Asian American households. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the intrapersonal and policy level of the Social Ecological Model significantly predicted food security status. Specifically, household incomes less than $20,000, an education level of high school or below, having no health insurance, and eating mainly Western or American foods were significant independent predictors of food insecurity among the Filipino American study sample. In the subsequent multivariate regression models containing the four independent predictors of food insecurity, all variables, except for an education level of high school or below, remained significant. The findings from this study will be used to inform future targeted interventions for the Filipino American communities in Clark County.

Disciplines

Public Health

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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