Estimating the prevalence of hunger and food insecurity: The validity of questionnaire-based measures for the identification of households

This study had three objectives: (1) to assess the validity of questionnaire-based measures in identifying households experiencing hunger and food insecurity, (2) to examine the interrelationships of different questionnaire-based measures, and (3) to examine the construction of a continuous food insecurity scale intended to differentiate three levels of food insecurity within households. A 1993 survey of 193 randomly sampled rural households with women and children living at home provided data on demographics, risk factors for food insecurity, Radimer/Cornell, CCHIP, and NHANES III hunger and food insecurity items, coping strategies, fruit and vegetable consumption, disordered eating behaviors, height, weight, dietary recall, and household food-stores inventory. This information was used to develop a definitive criterion measure for hunger and food insecurity, against which the Radimer/Cornell and CCHIP questionnaire-based measures, the NHANES III item, and the continuous food insecurity scale were tested for their specificity and sensitivity in measuring levels of food insecurity.