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Using a Bifactor Model to Measure Food Insecurity in Households with Children

Author

Listed:
  • Victoria T. Tanaka

    (The University of Georgia)

  • George Engelhard

    (The University of Georgia)

  • Matthew P. Rabbitt

    (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Abstract

In this study, we explored the dimensionality of U.S. food security measures using bifactor measurement models estimated on a sample of low-income households with children from the CPS Food Security Supplement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food security as access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle. In the United States, food security is measured by the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) which is an 18-item survey module that asks information about the food security of a household’s adult and child members, if present. Previous research suggests the HFSSM may exhibit multidimensionality among households with children. Employing bifactor models in this study allowed us to explore the dimensionality of the HFSSM and identify potential subscales. Our findings suggest the HFSSM captures a single dimension of food security for households with children. The reliability of specific factor scores reflecting subscales for the adult and child items were very low, and the analyses suggest that caution should be used when interpreting separate subscale scores.

Suggested Citation

  • Victoria T. Tanaka & George Engelhard & Matthew P. Rabbitt, 2020. "Using a Bifactor Model to Measure Food Insecurity in Households with Children," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 492-504, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:41:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s10834-020-09686-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-020-09686-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karl Holzinger & Frances Swineford, 1937. "The Bi-factor method," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 2(1), pages 41-54, March.
    2. Nord, Mark, 2012. "Assessing Potential Technical Enhancements to the U.S. Household Food Security Measures," Technical Bulletins 142549, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    3. Rabbitt, Matthew P., 2013. "Measuring the Effect of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation on Food Insecurity Using a Behavioral Rasch Selection Model," UNCG Economics Working Papers 13-20, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics.
    4. Chalmers, R. Philip, 2012. "mirt: A Multidimensional Item Response Theory Package for the R Environment," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 48(i06).
    5. Robert Gibbons & Donald Hedeker, 1992. "Full-information item bi-factor analysis," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 57(3), pages 423-436, September.
    6. Smith, Michael D. & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Coleman- Jensen, Alisha, 2017. "Who are the World’s Food Insecure? New Evidence from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 402-412.
    7. Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, 2017. "Rasch analyses of the standardized Spanish translation of the U.S. household food security survey module," Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, IOS Press, issue 2, pages 171-187.
    8. Nord, Mark, 2012. "Assessing Potential Technical Enhancements to the U.S. Household Food Security Measures," Technical Bulletins 142549, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
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