Table 1. Sociodemographic and Health Characteristics of Food Secure Versus Food Insecure Populations, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2010a .
| Characteristic | Total, N = 16,934 | Food Secure, N = 12,379 | Food Insecure, N = 4,555 | P Valueb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographics | ||||
| Age, y, mean (95% CI) | 46.8 (46.2–47.5) | 48.2 (47.4–48.9) | 41.1 (40.4–41.8) | <.001 |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 48.1(47.5–48.7) | 48.6 (48.0–49.2) | 46.1 (44.6–47.7) | .005 |
| Female | 51.9 (51.3–52.5) | 51.4 (50.8–52.0) | 53.9 (52.3–55.5) | |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 69.9 (66.1–73.6) | 75.6 (72.5–78.7) | 46.0 (39.7–52.4) | <.001 |
| Hispanic | 12.6 (10.1–15.0) | 8.9 (7.2–10.5) | 28.1 (22.6–33.6) | |
| Non-Hispanic black | 11.4 (9.6–13.2) | 9.4 (7.8–11.0) | 19.7 (16.2–23.3) | |
| Other | 6.2 (5.1–7.3) | 6.2 (5.0–7.3) | 6.2 (4.6–7.8) | |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married | 64.0 (62.5–65.5) | 66.5 (65.0–68.0) | 53.6 (51.3–55.9) | <.001 |
| Single | 17.2 (15.9–18.5) | 15.8 (14.5–17.2) | 23.0 (21.0–24.9) | |
| Widowed, separated, divorced | 18.8 (18.0–19.6) | 17.7 (16.9–18.5) | 23.5 (21.8–25.2) | |
| Education | ||||
| Less than high school | 19.0 (17.6–20.4) | 14.9 (13.4–16.4) | 36.3 (34.1–38.4) | <.001 |
| High school graduate | 24.3 (23.0–25.6) | 23.4 (21.9–24.9) | 28.0 (26.4–29.7) | |
| Some college, college degree, or more/other | 56.6 (54.4–58.8) | 61.6 (59.0–64.2) | 35.5 (33.4–37.7) | |
| Poverty-to-income ratio | ||||
| <1 | 18.4 (17.0–19.7) | 13.4 (12.3–14.6) | 39.2 (36.5–41.9) | <.001 |
| ≥1 to <1.33 | 6.8 (6.1–7.4) | 4.7 (4.0–5.4) | 15.5 (13.9–17.1) | |
| ≥1.33 to <1.50 | 3.4 (3.1–3.8) | 2.8 (2.4–3.2) | 6.1 (5.2–7.1) | |
| ≥1.50 to <1.85 | 5.9 (5.4–6.5) | 5.2 (4.5–5.9) | 9.0 (7.8–10.2) | |
| ≥1.85 | 65.5 (63.6–67.4) | 73.9 (72.3–75.5) | 30.1 (27.3–33.0) | |
| Household size | ||||
| 1 or 2 | 47.5 (45.5–49.5) | 50.9 (48.7–53.1) | 33.3 (30.0–36.5) | <.001 |
| 3 or 4 | 35.9 (34.6–37.3) | 35.4 (33.9–36.9) | 38.2 (35.5–40.8) | |
| ≥5 | 16.6 (15.0–18.2) | 13.7 (12.2–15.3) | 28.6 (25.2–32.0) | |
| Children in home aged 18 y or younger | 40.8 (39.0–42.5) | 37.0 (34.8–39.2) | 56.5 (53.3–59.7) | <.001 |
| Health | ||||
| No. of days per monthc | ||||
| Poor physical health | 3.6 (3.4–3.8) | 3.2 (3.0–3.5) | 5.1 (4.7–5.5) | <.001 |
| Poor mental health | 4.0 (3.8–4.2) | 3.4 (3.2–3.6) | 6.6 (6.1–7.0) | <.001 |
| Self-rated healthc | ||||
| Excellent/very good/good | 75.6 (74.5–76.8) | 78.8 (77.5–80.0) | 62.6 (60.7–64.4) | <.001 |
| Fair/poor | 15.5 (14.5–16.5) | 12.6 (11.6–13.6) | 27.5 (25.7–29.2) | |
| Functional limitations | ||||
| Any | 26.1 (24.6–27.6) | 24.7 (23.1–26.4) | 32.1 (29.8–34.3) | <.001 |
| Activities of daily living | 9.7 (9.1–10.4) | 8.2 (7.5–8.9) | 16.4 (14.9–17.9) | <.001 |
| Instrumental activities of daily living | 11.5 (10.8–12.3) | 9.7 (8.9–10.5) | 19.2 (17.7–20.6) | <.001 |
| Lower extremity mobility | 8.5 (7.8–9.2) | 7.8 (7.1–8.6) | 11.3 (10.0–12.7) | <.001 |
| General physical activity | 24.5 (23.0–25.9) | 23.2 (21.6–24.8) | 29.8 (27.6–32.1) | <.001 |
| Leisure and social activities | 9.1 (8.5–9.6) | 7.4 (6.8–8.0) | 16.0 (14.5–17.6) | <.001 |
| Comorbid conditions | ||||
| Arthritis | 24.6 (23.3–25.9) | 25.0 (23.7–26.4) | 23.0 (21.0–24.9) | .03 |
| Cancer | 9.1 (8.4–9.7) | 9.9 (9.2–10.6) | 5.6 (4.6–6.5) | <.001 |
| Diabetes | 8.2 (7.6–8.9) | 8.0 (7.3–8.7) | 9.3 (8.2–10.3) | <.04 |
| Hypertension | 30.0 (28.7–31.3) | 30.5 (28.9–32.0) | 28.0 (26.4–29.6) | .03 |
| Depressive symptoms in the last 2 weeks | ||||
| None | 80.4 (79.3–81.5) | 83.6 (82.5–84.6) | 67.4 (65.5–69.2) | <.001 |
| Mild | 16.7 (15.8–17.6) | 14.6 (13.8–15.4) | 25.5 (23.8–27.1) | |
| Severe | 2.9 (2.5–3.3) | 1.9 (1.5–2.2) | 7.2 (6.1–8.2) | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 c | ||||
| <19 (underweight) | 2.5 (2.2–2.9) | 2.4 (2.0–2.8) | 3.0 (2.3–3.7) | <.001 |
| ≥19 and <25 (normal weight) | 28.9 (27.6–30.26) | 29.6 (28.0–31.1) | 26.2 (24.5–28.0) | |
| ≥25 and <30 (overweight) | 33.1 (32.1–34.1) | 33.6 (32.4–34.7) | 30.9 (29.0–32.9) | |
| ≥30 (obese) | 34.2 (32.9–35.5) | 33.2 (31.6–34.8) | 38.4 (36.5–40.2) | |
| Smokerd | ||||
| Never | 53.1 (51.4–54.9) | 54.9 (53.0–56.8) | 45.8 (42.7–48.8) | <.001 |
| Former | 22.1 (21.0–23.2) | 23.8 (22.6–25.1) | 14.7 (13.0–16.3) | |
| Current | 22.4 (21.1–23.7) | 18.9 (17.7–20.2) | 36.9 (34.0–39.8) | |
| Alcohol consumptione | ||||
| None or moderate | 92.5 (91.8–93.2) | 92.6 (91.7–93.4) | 92.1 (91.1–93.1) | .42 |
| Risky | 7.5 (6.8–8.3) | 7.5 (6.6–8.3) | 7.9 (6.9–8.9) | |
| No insurance | 19.4 (17.9–20.9) | 14.3 (13.0–15.5) | 40.7 (38.4–43.0) | <.001 |
| No usual care | 16.7 (15.6–17.7) | 13.4 (12.4–14.3) | 30.6 (28.2–32.9) | <.001 |
Abbreviation: CI, confidence interval.
a
Values are expressed as percentage (95% CI), unless otherwise indicated. All values reflect point estimates (95% CI) using survey weights to provide a nationally representative estimate.
b
P values calculated using Rao Scott χ2 tests (for categorical variables) or F test (for continuous variables).
c
Measurements were assessed at a mobile examination center and represent a subsample of the total.
d
Current smoker was define as currently smoking or quit within the past 12 months, former as quit ≥12 months ago, never smoked as a lifetime history of smoking ≤100 cigarettes.
e
Risky was defined a >1 drink/d for women or >2 drinks/d for men and moderate as ≤1 drink/d for women and ≤2 drinks/d for men.