Description

FSHNGRCMCAT indicates how frequently children in the household were hungry but did not eat due to lack of money for food in the past 30 days. This variable is available only in households where children went hungry in the past year (FSHNGRCH).

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

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). FSHNGRCH 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 1999. In 1995-1997, households were asked only whether children went hungry in the past month, not how often. In these years, reports of child hunger are coded as occurring "at least once".

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 FSHNGRCH and FSHNGRCM.

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