Material security scale as a measurement of poverty among key populations at-risk for HIV/AIDS in Malaysia: An implication for people who use drugs and transgender people during the COVID-19 pandemic
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2022
Abstract
The HIV epidemic is fueled by poverty; yet, methods to measure poverty remain scarce among populations at risk for HIV infection and disease progression to AIDS in Malaysia. Between August and November 2020, using data from a cross-sectional study of people who use drugs, (PWUD), transgender people, sex workers and men who have sex with men, this study examined the reliability and validity of a material security scale as a measurement of poverty. Additionally, we assessed factors associated with material security scores. We performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for 268 study participants included in the analysis. A revised nine-item three-factor structure of the material security scale demonstrated an excellent fit in CFA. The revised material security score displayed good reliability, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.843, 0.826 and 0.818 for housing, economic resources and basic needs factors, respectively. In a subsequent analysis, PWUD and transgender people were less likely to present good material security scores during the pandemic, compared to their counterparts. The revised nine-item scale is a useful tool to assess poverty among key populations at-risk for HIV/AIDS with the potential to be extrapolated in similar income settings.
Keywords
HIV, Social determinants of health, Poverty, Reliability, Validity
Divisions
medicinedept,Socialprevent,ceria
Funders
International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), COVID-19 emergency grant (2020): COVID-19 and Decarceration in Southeast Asia
Publication Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume
19
Issue
15
Publisher
MDPI
Publisher Location
ST ALBAN-ANLAGE 66, CH-4052 BASEL, SWITZERLAND