Food Insecurity And Measurements Used - 1681 Words

Food Insecurity and Measurements Used To understand food insecurity, one first needs to grasp the concept of food security. Food security is present when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and healthy food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for a healthy lifestyle.1 So, food insecurity is when this source of healthy nutritious food is limited or unattainable, causing food deprivation and malnutrition.1 Food insecurity is a phenomenon that does not exist solely between those who are homeless, but can present itself in families where both parents could be employed and have adequate housing. In 2008, more than 14% of all U.S. households, 49 million people were food†¦show more content†¦population. For instance, these surveys do not take into account people living in group quarters, those who are institutionalized or are homeless. 2(p.6) Another tool that is used to measure food insecurity would be from the National Health and Nutrition Examinati on Survey (NHANES). This particular survey collects detailed medical and nutritional information on all sample people. More than 99% of the eligible sample participated in this Food Security Survey Module developed by the USDA to measure household food security over the prior 12 months.7 These data measures are very beneficial for identifying the links between health, food insecurity and diet.2(p46) Regardless, there are many measurements used, and many determining factors to help us see where food insecurity exists. Food Insecurity and Health Disparity There are a variety of reasons of why food insecurity exists within the United States. One of the reasons for food insecurity is the varying income level of families and individuals. Lower-income families may not have access to healthier food options, and may not have the required transportation it may take to gain access to healthier food choices. 2(p31) Many low and even middle-income families can find it often difficult to spend the amount of money need for healthy food when lower quality and lower price food is more attainable. For many people who are worried when or