Dying of starvation if not from bombs: assessing measurement properties of the Food Insecurity Experiences Scale (FIES) in Gaza’s civilian population experiencing the world’s worst hunger crisis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Since October 2023, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has dramatically escalated and food insecurity (FI) has rapidly deteriorated. In the face of such situation, it has been recommended that accurate information on FI should be integrated in emergency reporting systems in order to better target and assess the impact of humanitarian aid. To achieve this, field practitioners, researchers and decision-makers should be equipped with user-friendly and psychometrically sound measures tailored to real-life war situations and the Palestinian context. Therefore, the present study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the Food Insecurity Experiences Scale (FIES) in a sample of Arabic-speaking community adults currently living in the Gaza Strip during the war. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design, snowball sampling as a recruiting strategy, and a self-administered online questionnaire to collect data from participants. It was performed during the period from September 1st to 30th, 2024. A total of 534 valid responses were received and were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: Approximately one out of two people in Gaza were experiencing any FI. Fit indices in confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a one-factor solution fit the data with acceptable factor loadings. Furthermore, our findings indicated that the Arabic version of the FIES presented an excellent level of reliability, with both Cronbach's alpha and McDonald omega coefficients of 0.94. Cross-sex measurement invariance in the FIES was established at scalar and metric levels. Finaly, concurrent validity was evidenced by FIES's positive correlations with water insecurity experiences, post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSION: Altogether, our findings showed that the FIES fulfils requirements of validity and reliability. It may thus be considered as appropriate tool for assessing FI in Gazan war-affected populations currently suffering from acute FI emergency and requiring urgent action to meet their food needs. The FIES is simple, short, economic and time-effective. As a FI indicator, the Arabic FIES is useful in providing information that enables actions by policy makers and guides humanitarian-aid actors' efforts aimed at decreasing, mitigating, or preventing severe FI, and saving lives or livelihoods. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.