Description

FSSTATUSMC identifies the food security status of the children in the household in the past 30 days. Households are classified as food secure, low food security, or very low food security among children. See FSSTATUS for the USDA definitions of food insecurity.

Food security is based on the number of affirmative answers to each of the 8 child food security food security questions. These questions are only asked in households with children.

Food secure households include those who give no affirmative answers or do not pass the screener (those with high food security among children), and household reporting one food insecure condition (marginal food insecurity.) Low food security among children is defined as 2-4 food insecure conditions, while very low food security includes households reporting 5-8 conditions in the past 30 days. Thus, very low food secure includes only households reporting extreme hardships among children such as skipping meals and going to bed hungry.

FSSTATUSMC is available since 2005, when households were first asked the full food security questionnaire in the last 30-days. Children's food security over the past year is available since 2000 in FSSTATUSC.

This variable is part of the Food Security Supplement.

Comparability

This variable is comparable across years since 2005.

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