Description

FSCUTCHMCAT indicates how frequently, if at all, the household had to cut the size of a child's meals in the past 30 days because there was not enough money for food. This variable is available only in households where children did not eat enough in the past year (FSCUTCH).

Prior to 2019, FSCUTCHMCAT responses ranged from 0-30 days. In 2019, a categorical system was introduced to reduce the risk of disclosing respondent identities. FSCUTCHMCAT recodes responses in samples from before 2019 to use the 2019 categorical responses. The original continuous responses for those samples are available in FSCUTCHM.

The questions used to construct this variable are two of the 8 items included in 30-day child food security scale, FSSTATUSMC and are also used to determine household food security status FSSTATUSM. Households are screened into this section of the supplement based on income and preliminary questions on food access (see FSSCREEN for more information). FSCUTCH is subject to a second internal screener.

This variable is part of the Food Security Supplement.

Comparability

This variable is generally comparable over available years since 1995, and the universe is generally consistent since 1998. From 1998 onwards, only households that in the past year relied on low-cost food to feed their children (FSLWCFDC), could not afford to feed their children a balanced meal (FSBALCH), or in which the children did not eat enough (FSENGHCH) continue on to answer FSCUTCH and FSCUTCHM.

Prior to 1998, both the internal screeners and the screening procedures used to determine which households were screened into the food security assessment varied. Researchers need account for this when including data prior to 1998.

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables