Table 1.

Overview of coding of food insecurity status using the six-item HFSSM

Food insecurity status		Description	Coding
Food secure		No report of income-related problems of food access.	0 affirmative items
Food insecure	Marginally food insecure	Some indication of an income-related barrier to adequate, secure food access	1 affirmative item
	Moderately food insecure	Compromise in quality and/or quantity of food consumed due to a lack of money for food.	2–4 affirmative items
	Severely food insecure	Regularly disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake due to a lack of money for food.	5–6 affirmative items

HFSSM, Household Food Security Survey Module; USDA, United States Department of Agriculture.

Descriptions adapted for the six-item HFSSM from a 2021 PROOF Canada report which uses the eighteen-item USDA HFSSM⁽³⁰⁾.