Development and validation of a food security assessment questionnaire for pregnancy

Dear Editor, Food insecurity during pregnancy can significantly affect the health of both mother and the fetus by compromising the adequacy and quality of the mother's nutrition. One potential solution to enhance food security among pregnant women is to implement standardized tools for screening food insecurity during pregnancy. Consequently, the objective of this study was to develop and validate a food security assessment tool specifically designed for pregnant women. The study employed a mixed-method sequential exploratory design, conducted in two stages. In the first stage, which involved qualitative research, in-depth structured interviews were carried out with pregnant women and experts in the field of food security. This phase aimed to collect both theoretical and practical definitions of the concept and dimensions of food security during pregnancy. In the second stage, the initial research tool was validated. Four themes were identified in the qualitative research phase: dietary quantity, dietary quality and benefits, managing food insecurity, and promoting food security. The Pregnant Women's Food Security Questionnaire (Pregnancy-FSQ) comprises 20 items divided into two dimensions: lack of access to healthy and quality food (16 questions) and inadequate food intake (4 questions). The questionnaire demonstrated strong validity, reliability, and stability, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.965 and an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.999.