Validation of the Malay version of Food Insecurity Experience Scale (M-FIES) using Rasch analysis

Introduction: Food security can be defined as the availability of and accessibility to food, acquired in an acceptable means at any given time and place in a way that could maintain health and wellbeing. One critical dimension of food security is continued access to adequate food. To measure this dimension, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developed the latest measurement tool, namely the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), the first instrument to measure people who experience food insecurity globally. This study aimed to validate the construct validity and reliability of the Malay version of FIES (M-FIES) for Malaysians. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 145 households in Kuantan, Pahang. Rasch analysis was used to analyse the construct validity of FIES. Results: FIES met the Rasch model assumptions with all items having an infit value of between 0.7- 1.3 and an outfit value of <2.0. The item and person reliability were 0.97 and 0.71, respectively; while the item and person separation were 5.59 and 1.58, respectively. The FIES item severity indicated that the items “few food”, “healthy”, “skipped”, “ate less”, and “runout” were disordered. Conclusion: The M-FIES is a valid and reliable measurement tool for the food insecurity situation among households based on its construct validity assessed using the Rasch model. Furthermore, the severity of item in M-FIES was different in terms of order from the original FIES, suggesting that the same items may be interpreted differently due to cultural or societal differences.