Using Stories to Teach Ethics in Family Science

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Compared to the general population, the rate of food insecurity is much higher among rural, low-income families. This paper summarizes 20 years of research findings on the food insecurity of marginalized rural families in three specific areas: (a) family food practice and management, (b) food insecurity and health outcomes, and (c) formal and informal supports and food insecurity. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the causes and consequences of food insecurity are complex and are embedded in various contextual factors that rural families face. This paper discusses the importance of building multi-disciplinary, multi-level programs (i.e., individual, family, and community) and policies to reduce food insecurity. These programs and policies would ultimately promote the health and well-being of rural low-income families.Direct correspondence to Yoshie Sano at yoshie_sano@.wsu.edu Food Insecurity among Rural, Low-Income FamiliesConsumption of nutritious food is necessary for healthy, productive lives for adults and children. Although the majority of families in the United States (87.3%) were food secure, 12.7% (15.8 million) experienced food insecurity in 2015 (Coleman-Jensen, Rabbitt, Gregory, & Singh, 2016). According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (ERS, 2016), food security includes two sub-categories: high food security and marginal food security. High food security is defined as "no reported indications of food-access problems or limitation" while marginal food security is described as "one or two reported indications-typically of anxiety over food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house" (ERS, 2016, para. 3). Food insecurity also has two sub-categories: low food security and very low food security. Low food security is described as "reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet with little or no indication of reduced food intake." The very low food security category includes "multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake." Among food insecure families, 5% of households (6.3 million) experienced very low food insecurity in 2015 (ERS, 2016).Compared to the national average, rates of food insecurity were higher among families with children (16.6%), especially those with children under age six, racial/ethnic minorities (Black: 21.5%; Hispanic: 19.1%), single mother families (30.3%), low-income households (32.8%), and rural families (15.4%). Two studies, Rural Families Speak (RFS), 1998-2008, and Rural Families Speak about Health (RFSH), 2008-2019, 1 examined one population group that is among the most food insecure-rural, low-income families with children. These two studies, with two different sets of samples, have provided considerable insights into our understanding of the food insecurity issues faced by economically disadvantaged rural families, during periods before and after the recent Great Recession (2007)(2008)(2009)).For participants in the RFS project, food security status was determined by quantitative responses to the USDA Co...