IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ssefpa/v9y2017i6d10.1007_s12571-017-0733-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Food insecurity in the United States of America: an examination of race/ethnicity and nativity

Author

Listed:
  • Ana McCormick Myers

    (University of Wyoming)

  • Matthew A. Painter

    (University of Wyoming)

Abstract

Food insecurity is a persistent problem in the United States and is disproportionately distributed across racial/ethnic groups, with some evidence that non-Latino blacks and Latinos experience higher rates than non-Latino whites. But no nationally-representative study examines how race/ethnicity affects food insecurity for immigrants in the United States. Using new assimilation theory and the 1999–2010 waves (N = 32,464) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this study investigated the relationship between food insecurity and both race/ethnicity and nativity status. Results, when socioeconomic status is held constant, provide evidence for a nonwhite/white divide in food insecurity for both immigrants and the native-born. That is, blacks and Latinos – regardless of nativity status – are significantly more food insecure than both foreign- and native-born whites. These results provide insight into a continuing pattern of racial/ethnic inequality in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana McCormick Myers & Matthew A. Painter, 2017. "Food insecurity in the United States of America: an examination of race/ethnicity and nativity," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(6), pages 1419-1432, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:9:y:2017:i:6:d:10.1007_s12571-017-0733-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-017-0733-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12571-017-0733-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12571-017-0733-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Borjas, George J., 2004. "Food insecurity and public assistance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(7-8), pages 1421-1443, July.
    2. Grier, S.A. & Kumanyika, S.K., 2008. "The context for choice: Health implications of targeted food and beverage marketing to African Americans," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(9), pages 1616-1629.
    3. Koball, Heather & Liu, Albert Yung-Hsu & Morgan, Seth & Clary, Liz, 2013. "Food Insecurity and SNAP Use Among Immigrant Families with Children During the Economic Downturn," Contractor and Cooperator Reports 312403, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    4. Martin, Katie S & Rogers, Beatrice L & Cook, John T & Joseph, Hugh M, 2004. "Social capital is associated with decreased risk of hunger," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(12), pages 2645-2654, June.
    5. Bhattacharya, Jayanta & Currie, Janet & Haider, Steven, 2004. "Poverty, food insecurity, and nutritional outcomes in children and adults," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 839-862, July.
    6. Judi Bartfeld & Rachel Dunifon, 2006. "State-level predictors of food insecurity among households with children," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(4), pages 921-942.
    7. Chilton, M. & Black, M.M. & Berkowitz, C. & Casey, P.H. & Cook, J. & Cutts, D. & Jacobs, R.R. & Heeren, T. & De Cuba, S.E. & Coleman, S. & Meyers, A. & Frank, D.A., 2009. "Food insecurity and risk of poor health among US-born children of immigrants," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(3), pages 556-562.
    8. Richard A. DePolt & Robert A. Moffitt & David C. Ribar, 2009. "Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance For Needy Families And Food Hardships In Three American Cities," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(4), pages 445-473, October.
    9. Craig Gundersen, 2008. "Measuring the extent, depth, and severity of food insecurity: an application to American Indians in the USA," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 21(1), pages 191-215, January.
    10. Alaimo, K. & Briefel, R.R. & Frongillo Jr., E.A. & Olson, C.M., 1998. "Food insufficiency exists in the United States: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 88(3), pages 419-426.
    11. Danielle L. Nunnery & Jigna M. Dharod, 2017. "Potential determinants of food security among refugees in the U.S.: an examination of pre- and post- resettlement factors," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(1), pages 163-179, February.
    12. Moore, L.V. & Diez Roux, A.V., 2006. "Associations of neighborhood characteristics with the location and type of food stores," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(2), pages 325-331.
    13. Amy Helling & David Sawicki, 2003. "Race and residential accessibility to shopping and services," Housing Policy Debate, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1-2), pages 69-101.
    14. Nord, Mark & Golla, Anne Marie, 2009. "Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity? Untangling the Self-Selection Effect," Economic Research Report 55955, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    15. Nandi, A. & Galea, S. & Lopez, G. & Nandi, V. & Strongarone, S. & Ompad, D.C., 2008. "Access to and use of health services among undocumented Mexican immigrants in a US urban area," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(11), pages 2011-2020.
    16. Kasper, J. & Gupta, S.K. & Tran, P. & Cook, J.T. & Meyers, A.F., 2000. "Hunger in legal immigrants in California, Texas, and Illinois," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 90(10), pages 1629-1633.
    17. Steven T. Yen & Margaret Andrews & Zhuo Chen & David B. Eastwood, 2008. "Food Stamp Program Participation and Food Insecurity: An Instrumental Variables Approach," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 90(1), pages 117-132.
    18. Lucie Schmidt & Lara Shore-Sheppard & Tara Watson, 2016. "The Effect of Safety-Net Programs on Food Insecurity," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 51(3), pages 589-614.
    19. ver Ploeg, Michele & Breneman, Vince & Farrigan, Tracey & Hamrick, Karen & Hopkins, David & Kaufman, Phillip & Lin, Biing-Hwan & Nord, Mark & Smith, Travis A. & Williams, Ryan & Kinnison, Kelly & Olan, 2009. "Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences: Report to Congress," Administrative Publications 292130, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    20. Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Smith, Michael D. & Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, 2016. "Food Security Among Hispanic Adults in the United States, 2011-2014," Economic Information Bulletin 262144, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    21. Zenk, S.N. & Schulz, A.J. & Israel, B.A. & James, S.A. & Bao, S. & Wilson, M.L., 2005. "Neighborhood racial composition, neighborhood poverty, and the spatial accessibility of supermarkets in metropolitan Detroit," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(4), pages 660-667.
    22. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2016. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2015," Economic Research Report 262191, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    23. Caroline Ratcliffe & Signe-Mary McKernan & Sisi Zhang, 2011. "How Much Does the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reduce Food Insecurity?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 93(4), pages 1082-1098.
    24. Yoshie Sano & Steven Garasky & Kimberly Greder & Christine Cook & Dawn Browder, 2011. "Understanding Food Insecurity Among Latino Immigrant Families in Rural America," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 111-123, March.
    25. Kaufman, Phillip R. & MacDonald, James M. & Lutz, Steve M. & Smallwood, David M., 1997. "Do the Poor Pay More for Food? Item Selection and Price Differences Affect Low-Income Household Food Costs," Agricultural Economic Reports 34065, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    26. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2014. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2013," Economic Research Report 183589, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Keumseok Koh & Michelle L. Kaiser & Glennon Sweeney & Karima Samadi & Ayaz Hyder, 2020. "Explaining Racial Inequality in Food Security in Columbus, Ohio: A Blinder–Oaxaca Decomposition Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Michael F. Royer, 2024. "The Folly of Food Waste amidst Food Insecurity in the United States: A Literature Review," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Violeta Alarcão & Sofia Guiomar & Andreia Oliveira & Milton Severo & Daniela Correia & Duarte Torres & Carla Lopes, 2020. "Food insecurity and social determinants of health among immigrants and natives in Portugal," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(3), pages 579-589, June.
    4. Michael F. Royer & Christopher Wharton, 2023. "The Design and Testing of a Text Message for Use as an Informational Nudge in a Novel Food Insecurity Intervention," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-13, October.
    5. Lauren H. Sweeney & Kaley Carman & Elder G. Varela & Lisa A. House & Karla P. Shelnutt, 2021. "Cooking, Shopping, and Eating Behaviors of African American and Hispanic Families: Implications for a Culturally Appropriate Meal Kit Intervention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-10, September.
    6. Alexandria J. Drake & Lora A. Phillips & Brajesh Karna & Shakthi Bharathi Murugesan & Lily K. Villa & Nathan A. Smith, 2023. "Food insecurity and disasters: predicting disparities in total and first-time food pantry visits during the COVID-19 pandemic," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 493-504, April.
    7. Courtney A. Parks & Amber Bastian & Rebecca Lindberg & Fiona H. McKay & Paige Pligt & Amy L. Yaroch, 2022. "Food insecurity among parents of young children in the United States and Australia: focusing on etiology and outcomes," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(6), pages 1499-1502, December.
    8. Jennifer Sowerwine & Megan Mucioki & Daniel Sarna-Wojcicki & Lisa Hillman, 2019. "Reframing food security by and for Native American communities: a case study among tribes in the Klamath River basin of Oregon and California," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(3), pages 579-607, June.
    9. Joshua Berning & Alessandro Bonanno & Rebecca Cleary, 2024. "Disparities in food insecurity among Black and White households: An analysis by age cohort, poverty, education, and home ownership," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(1), pages 234-254, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dharmasena, Senarath & Bessler, David A. & Capps, Oral, 2016. "Food environment in the United States as a complex economic system," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 163-175.
    2. repec:mpr:mprres:8084 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Zhang, Jun & Yen, Steven T., 2017. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and food insecurity among families with children," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 52-64.
    4. Andrea Sales S. De A. Melo, 2018. "The ?Bolsa-Família? Program And The Food Insecurity In Brazilian Household Between 2009 And 2013," Anais do XLIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 44th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 72, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    5. Wilson, Norbert L. W. & Zheng, Yuqing & Burney, Shaheer & Kaiser, Harry M., 2016. "Do Grocery Food Sales Taxes Cause Food Insecurity?," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235324, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. James Mabli, "undated". "SNAP Participation and Urban and Rural Food Security," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 99ba5f92f8434d3084c34a7d9, Mathematica Policy Research.
    7. Yunhee Chang & Swarn Chatterjee & Jinhee Kim, 2014. "Household Finance and Food Insecurity," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(4), pages 499-515, December.
    8. James Mabli & Jim Ohls & Lisa Dragoset & Laura Castner & Betsy Santos, "undated". "Measuring the Effect of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation on Food Security," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 69d901432c7a46779666a240a, Mathematica Policy Research.
    9. Otto Lenhart, 2021. "The effects of paid family leave on food insecurity—evidence from California," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 615-639, September.
    10. Seungyeon Cho, 2022. "The Effect of Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Food Insecurity of Children in U.S. Immigrant Households," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 501-510, September.
    11. repec:mpr:mprres:7859 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. James Mabli, "undated". "SNAP Participation, Food Security, and Geographic Access to Food," Mathematica Policy Research Reports da75fa3a960c45b08490c8f14, Mathematica Policy Research.
    13. Gregory, Christian & Deb, Partha, 2016. "Who Benefits Most from SNAP?," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236648, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Swann, Christopher A., 2017. "Household history, SNAP participation, and food insecurity," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-9.
    15. Burney, Shaheer & Boehm, Rebecca & Lopez, Rigoberto, 2021. "The impact of the ACA Medicaid expansion on SNAP participation," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    16. Ranney, Christine K. & Gomez, Miguel I., 2010. "Food Stamps, Food Insufficiency and Health of the Elderly," Working Papers 126968, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    17. Irma Arteaga & Colleen Heflin & Leslie Hodges, 2018. "SNAP Benefits and Pregnancy-Related Emergency Room Visits," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(6), pages 1031-1052, December.
    18. Merryn Maynard & Jennifer Dean & Paulina I. Rodriguez & Gobika Sriranganathan & Mona Qutub & Sharon I. Kirkpatrick, 2019. "The Experience of Food Insecurity Among Immigrants: a Scoping Review," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 375-417, May.
    19. Robert A. Moffitt & David C. Ribar, 2016. "Rasch Analyses of Very Low Food Security among Households and Children in the Three City Study," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 82(4), pages 1123-1146, April.
    20. Gregory, Christian A. & Deb, Partha, 2015. "Does SNAP improve your health?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 11-19.
    21. Wendt, Minh & Kinsey, Jean D. & Kaufman, Phillip R., 2008. "Food Accessibility in the Inner City: What Have We Learned, A Literature Review 1963-2006," Working Papers 37625, University of Minnesota, The Food Industry Center.
    22. 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.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:9:y:2017:i:6:d:10.1007_s12571-017-0733-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.