Crystal Medrano

                                                                                                          Crystal Medrano

                                                                                                                    596 Words

A Decade of Change: Measuring the Extent, Depth and Severity of Food Insecurity

The study used three indices from FGT measures, food insecurity rate, food insecurity gap, and squared food insecurity gap, that would help examine patterns of food insecurity by race and ethnicity and among low income families with or without children that were placed below 185% of the poverty line, between 2001 and 2013. Data from 2001-2003, 2006-2008 and 2011-2013 was gathered from the CPS Food Security Supplement because of the major events happening around the recession.  Within the years analyzed, there were about 263, 779 White, Black and Hispanic households examined. To measure food security, an 18-item household food security scale was used to measure 12-month frames and the severity of food insecurity. Questions focused on concerns about lack of food, availability of money, and children having access to food. Also, FII and Rasch scoring method, was used to understand how food insecure a household was.

            Patterns of food security reported between 2006 and 2008, showed households with children made no recovery from having low food security due to low incomes and earnings. It was seen that the severity of food insecurity with households without children increased greatly through the decade. Also, large increases were shown among the three indices measured. By race, Blacks with children, showed a major increase and highest, in having severe food insecurity and were the most underprivileged. In comparison to Hispanics having an increase of 5% to 12% food insecurity, Whites with children underwent very severe food insecurity. Hispanics had less food insecurity because their employment increased when the recession started. Therefore, the FGT measure found that those under the poverty threshold became more food insecure through the three-year points examined.

Does Acculturation Matter? Food Insecurity and Child Problem Behavior among low income working Hispanic Households

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between acculturation levels, food security standing and perceptions of health and behavioral outcomes of children within low income Hispanic and White families. English speaking and Spanish speaking households were compared with white low-income households. Data came from a study on the Rhode Island Food Stamp Program and 339 household participants were gathered from the RI Department of Human Services. The process of gathering participants was by sending an informative letter and then contacted by certified UC of Rhode Island Research Center interviewers to ask if they were willing to participate, as well as conduct a phone survey. About 97% of participants were female and aged around 31 years old. Spanish speakers were given Spanish surveys and since language use was being measured, they were less acculturated. Participant received $10 for grocery shopping as compensation. The survey questions asked and assessed the households' demographics, household income, food security, hunger status, food access and selection, child health satisfaction, behavioral concerns and target child in the home that was getting child care aid.  

            Results reported that there was a significant relationship between acculturation and food security. First, it was found that Spanish-speaking Hispanics were more prone to be food insecure with/without hunger, due to their socioeconomic disadvantage, than the other two groups. English speaking Hispanics were more food secured and Whites reported getting help from friends and family with accessing food. With food access and selection, all groups reported to buying fresh food, but Spanish speaking Hispanics tended to travel to further supermarkets and were more prone to buying fresh vegetables. With child health and outcomes, white households reported having children with learning and behavioral problems a lot more than the two Hispanic groups. Spanish speaking Hispanics were less satisfied with their target child's health and had many concerns about chronic illness due to income, access to health care and acculturation level.