Description

FSSTATUS95 records the 12-month food security status of that a household would have had under consistent screening criteria for the period 1995 to the present. Researchers planning to use only samples collected in 1998 or later, should use FSSTATUS because this more accurately reflects the food security status of households.

Food security is based on the number of affirmative answers to each of the food security questions and the presence of children in the household.

Households are classified as food secure if they report less than three food insecure conditions. Households with incomes greater than 185% of the poverty line are asked two screening questions about food insecurity and if they report no instances of food insecurity are categorized as food secure.

Households without children are classified as low food security if they report between 3-5 food insecurity conditions and as very low food insecure if they report 6 or more food insecure conditions. Households with children are classified as low food insecure if they report 3-7 food insecure conditions, and very low food insecure if they report 8 or more food insecure conditions.

The screening criteria varied prior to 1998. As a result of this variation, households that indicated food insecurity in some survey years, would have been screened out of the food insecurity questionnaire in others year. Thus, FSSTATUS95 applies a "common screen" (FSSCREEN) across all of the years, and reclassifies some food insecure households as food secure.

This variable is part of the Food Security Supplement.

Comparability

This variable is comparable across years since 1996. Prior to 2005, USDA, low food security was labeled food insecurity without hunger. Very low food security was labeled food insecurity with hunger. The rules for coding food insecurity did not change when the labels were modified.

In 1998, 1999, and 2007, food security data are not available for all rotation groups. The food security status weight FSHWTSCALE should be used when analyzing the food security scales.

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables