“Amarrarnos Las Tripas” (tie up your gut): perspectives on food insecurity from Mexican‐origin seniors living in colonias along the Texas‐Mexico border (805.3)

Abstract

Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States, with persons of Mexican‐origin as the largest subgroup. Accompanying an increased number of Mexican‐origin seniors are persistent poverty and high rates of food insecurity, especially among Mexican‐origin seniors who live in the burgeoning colonias along the Texas‐Mexico border. This study described the perceptions of food security among Spanish‐speaking Mexican‐origin seniors under conditions of material hardship and structural vulnerability in colonia areas of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. In 2012, 95 Mexican‐origin seniors (22 men and 73 women) were recruited by promtoras de salud (community health workers) from clusters of colonias in four geographic areas of Hidalgo County (TX) to participate in focus group discussions conducted in Spanish. A promotora, trained as a moderator, conducted the focus groups using a semi‐structured interview guide developed with the assistance of promotoras. Discussions were audio recorded and underwent a 6‐stage process for transcription and translation into English. The mean age of participants was 65 y, 87 were born in Mexico, and 29% completed < 9 years of education).The results identified six major themes: stretching, most necessary, that’s good enough, amarrarnos las tripas (tie up your gut, which implies bear with the hunger), situación difícil (difficult situation), and not natural. This study shows that vulnerable Mexican‐origin seniors in the rural colonias are experiencing food insecurity and hunger. The voices of these marginalized people also stress the need for policy changes and action on federal, state, and the local community level to reduce food insecurity by providing more economic resources, expanding access to food and nutrition programs, and integrating culturally sensitive interventions and services.Grant Funding Source: Supported by AARP Foundation and CDC's PRC Healthy Aging Research Network