Severity of Household Food Insecurity Is Sensitive to Change in Household Income and Employment Status among Low-Income Families1–3

Abstract

Cross-sectional studies have established a relationship between poverty and food insecurity, but little is known about the acute changes within households that lead to changes in food insecurity. This study examined how changes in income, employment status, and receipt of welfare related to change in severity of food insecurity during 1 y among low-income families. In 2005-2007, 501 families living in market and subsidized rental housing were recruited through door-to-door sampling in high-poverty neighborhoods in Toronto. One year later, families were re-interviewed. The final longitudinal analytic sample included 331 families. Within-household change in income, employment, and welfare receipt were examined in relation to change in severity of food insecurity. Severity was denoted by the aggregate raw score on the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). Analyses were stratified by housing subsidy status owing to differences in characteristics between households. Food insecurity was a persistent problem among families; 68% were food insecure at both interviews. Severity was dynamic, however, as 73.4% answered more or fewer questions affirmatively on the HFFSM between baseline and follow-up. Among market-rent families, a $2000 gain in income during the year and gain of full-time employment were associated with a 0.29 and 1.33 decrease in raw score, respectively (P < 0.01). This study suggests that improvements in income and employment are related to improvements in families' experiences of food insecurity, highlighting the potential for income- and employment-based policy interventions to affect the severity of household food insecurity for low-income families.

Isn’t more education a good thing?

“…Other household characteristics such as income, employment conditions, home ownership, household structure and Aboriginal status also influence households' vulnerability to food insecurity. 3,[5][6][7][8] Our results do not show that adults who completed postsecondary education had higher health care costs than those with lower levels of education. The total health care costs per person displayed in Table 3 of our article are presented as unadjusted and adjusted means, with 95% confidence intervals.…”

Adults’ food skills and use of gardens are not associated with household food insecurity in Canada

“…Provincial and federal government actions to address food insecurity should be informed by the growing body of evidence demonstrating the sensitivity of this problem to policy interventions that improve the material circumstances of at-risk groups. [3][4][5][6][7] RÉSUMÉ OBJECTIFS : Déterminer la mesure dans laquelle les habiletés des adultes canadiens à préparer des aliments, à cuisiner et à utiliser des jardins privés ou communautaires sont liées au statut d'insécurité alimentaire du ménage; et comparer les habitudes de cuisine et d'achat de produits d'épicerie des adultes de ménages aux prises ou non avec l'insécurité alimentaire. RÉSULTATS : Les adultes des ménages aux prises avec l'insécurité alimentaire n'étaient pas sensiblement différents des autres en ce qui a trait à leur habileté à préparer des repas ou à cuisiner, et ni l'une ni l'autre de ces variables ne prédisait la probabilité d'insécurité alimentaire du ménage lorsque les caractéristiques sociodémographiques étaient prises en compte.…”

“…2 Both the socio-demographic correlates of household food insecurity and its observed sensitivity to improvements in households' material circumstances [3][4][5][6][7] suggest that this problem is largely one of resource constraints. Less is known about the importance of adults' food skills and self-provisioning activities in mitigating the effects of limited incomes on household food security, but community cooking and gardening programs and other educational initiatives aimed at strengthening individuals' basic food skills are widely perceived as valuable interventions to improve the food security of low-income households.…”

Changes in household food insecurity rates in Canadian metropolitan areas from 2007 to 2012

“…23 The importance of employment was also evident in a follow-up study of food insecurity among a large sample of lowincome families in Toronto; families' food security improved significantly with a gain in the number of household members with paid work. 24 Policy initiatives to expand employment opportunities, improve the quality and stability of employment, and increase compensation benefits for disadvantaged workers would appear to be critical in reducing the prevalence of food insecurity within CMAs. The lack of a significant association between the number of Employment Insurance (EI) beneficiaries in CMAs and food insecurity prevalence likely reflects the relatively small number of households affected by fluctuations in this measure.…”