Monitoring Outcomes for Former Welfare Recipients:
A Review of 11 Survey Instruments

Table IV:  Food Insecurity

Questions Other
#8.   Cut size of or skip/meals (*)
#8a.  How often (*) 		X
X 		X
 X
   X
X 		  X
 		        O N
O N 		5
2
#1.  Food adequacy;
#1a.  Why not enough food
#1b.  Why not kinds of foods wanted 		X

 		  X
X
X 		X

 		        X

 		    O S

 4
1
1
#3.  Food did not last (*) X     X X   X         O N 4
No way to buy food (not from USDA)           X   X   X X   4
#4.  Not afford balanced meals (*) X X   X               O 3
#2.  Worried about food running out       X X             N 2
#12.  Adults not eat full day
#12a.  How often 		  X
 X
 		                2
0
#14.  Children ever skip meals;
#14a. How often 		  X
       X
X 		          2
1
#13.  Ever cut size of children's meals   X                   1
#16.  Any children not eat food for day   X                     1
#10.  Eat less than felt should (*) X                     O 1
#9.  Ever hungry (*) X                     O 1
Satisfaction with food [not from USDA]               X         1
#5.  Relied on low-cost foods                         0
#6.  Not afford balanced meals (children)                         0
#7.  Children not eating enough                         0
#11.  Lost weight   0
#15.  Children ever hungry                         0
Total Number of Questions 7 6 5 4 4 3 2 2 1 1 1    

Notes:
(*) Indicates on USDA short (6-item) scale.

Other:  N - National Survey of America's Families;  O - Child Outcomes Project;  S - SIPP.

Note:  Arizona, Illinois, South Carolina, and Wisconsin ask each question twice (period on welfare, period off welfare)

Where to Now?

Table of Contents of Paper

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E-mail the author, Julia Isaacs, julia.isaacs@hhs.gov

Last modified November 5, 1999