Objective: Little is known about food insecurity in Asian Americans (AA). We examined age/ethnic subgroup differences in food insecurity among AA in California.
Design: We examined associations between food insecurity and socio-demographic characteristics among AA (Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese) using the χ2 test. Rolling averages were calculated to examine food insecurity trends.
Setting: California.
Participants: We used data from the California Health Interview Survey (2011-2018) for AA categorised by age (18-39, 40-59 and 60+ years).
Results: Food insecurity prevalence varied by subgroup, with the highest observed in older adult (aged 60+ years) Vietnamese (26 %). Between 2011-2014 and 2015-2018, food insecurity prevalence increased 20-45 % across older adults, but showed a decreasing trend among younger adults. Being foreign born and speaking a language other than English at home were associated with increased food insecurity.
Conclusions: Community-engaged research to develop culturally appropriate strategies for mitigating food insecurity among older AA is warranted.
Keywords: Asian Americans; Disaggregated data; Elderly; Ethnic subgroups; Food insecurity; SNAP.