Prevalence of Food Insecurity in Low-Income Neighborhoods in West Texas.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of food insecurity and the coping strategies and to investigate the role of safety nets among low-income households in urban and rural west Texas.

Design: The Core Food Security Module, an 18-item scale, was used in a cross-sectional purposeful convenience sample comparing rural and urban households, whereas the demographic survey assessed participation in food assistance/safety net programs.

Setting: Rural and urban neighborhoods in west Texas.