Table 1.
Household Food Security Survey Module and food sufficiency item
| Question | Response item | Survey(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Which of these statements best describes the food eaten in your household in the last 12 months? | 1. Enough of the kinds of food we want | Food sufficiency item (screener) |
| 2. Enough but not always the kinds of food we want | ||
| 3. Sometimes not enough to eat | ||
| 4. Often not enough to eat | ||
| Now I'm going to read you several statements that people have made about their food situation. For these statements, please tell me whether the statement was often true, sometimes true, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months. | ||
| 1. The first statement is: ‘(I/We) worried whether (my/our) food would run out before (I/we) got money to buy more’. Was that often true, sometimes true, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months? | 1. Often true | 18-item |
| 2. Sometimes true | 10-item | |
| 3. Never true | ||
| 2. ‘The food that (I/we) bought just didn't last, and (I/we) didn't have money to get more’. Was that often, sometimes, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months? | 1. Often true | 18-item |
| 2. Sometimes true | 10-item | |
| 3. Never true | 6-item | |
| 3. ‘(I/we) couldn't afford to eat balanced meals’. Was that often, sometimes, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months? | 1. Often true | 18-item |
| 2. Sometimes true | 10-item | |
| 3. Never true | 6-item | |
| 4. In the last 12 months, since last [name of current month], did (you/you or other adults in your household) ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | 10-item | |
| 6-item | ||
| 5. If ‘yes’ to previous item: How often did this happen – almost every month, some months but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months? | 1. Almost every month | 18-item |
| 2. Some months but not every month | 10-item | |
| 6-item | ||
| 3. Only 1 or 2 months | ||
| 6. In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | 10-item | |
| 6-item | ||
| 7. In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry but didn't eat because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | 10-item | |
| 6-item | ||
| 8. In the last 12 months, did you lose weight because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | 10-item | |
| 9. In the last 12 months, did (you/you or other adults in your household) ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | 10-item | |
| 10. If ‘yes’ to previous item: How often did this happen – almost every month, some months but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months? | 1. Almost every month | 18-item |
| 2. Some months but not every month | 10-item | |
| 3. Only 1 or 2 months | ||
| Now I'm going to read you several statements that people have made about the food situation of their children. For these statements, please tell me whether the statement was often true, sometimes true, or never true in the last 12 months for (your child/children living in the household who are under 18 years old). | ||
| 11. ‘(I/we) relied on only a few kinds of low-cost food to feed (my/our) (child/the children) because (I was/we were) running out of money to buy food’. Was that often, sometimes, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months? | 1. Often true | 18-item |
| 2. Sometimes true | ||
| 3. Never true | ||
| 12. ‘(I/We) couldn't feed (my/our) (child/the children) a balanced meal, because (I/we) couldn't afford that’. Was that often, sometimes, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months? | 1. Often true | 18-item |
| 2. Sometimes true | ||
| 3. Never true | ||
| 13. ‘(My/Our child was/The children were) not eating enough because (I/we) just couldn't afford enough food’. Was that often, sometimes, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months? | 1. Often true | 18-item |
| 2. Sometimes true | ||
| 3. Never true | ||
| 14. In the last 12 months, since [current month] of last year, did you ever cut the size of (your child's/any of the children's) meals because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | ||
| 15. In the last 12 months, did ([child's name]/any of the children) ever skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | ||
| 16. If ‘yes’ to previous item: How often did this happen – almost every month, some months but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months? | 1. Almost every month | 18-item |
| 2. Some months but not every month | ||
| 3. Only 1 or 2 months | ||
| 17. In the last 12 months, (was your child/were the children) ever hungry but you just couldn't afford more food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No | ||
| 18. In the last 12 months, did (your child/any of the children) ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn't enough money for food? | 1. Yes | 18-item |
| 2. No |