ASSESSING FOOD INSECURITY IN KENTUCKY

Janet S. Kurzynske and Suzanne A. McGough

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to measure the nature and extent of food insecurity in Kentucky using a relatively inexpensive, reliable survey method.

Methods: Random sampling of Kentucky households was conducted via a March/April and July 1999 University of Kentucky Phone Survey. The sample included noninstitutionalized Kentuckians 18 years or older. Each residential telephone line had equal chance of being contacted. Questions were based on the NHANES III food security protocol. Respondents were asked to provide answers which represented themselves and their families. Respondents were classified as food insecure if they responded that they or their families sometimes or often did not have enough to eat.

Results: The data indicates that 6.5% of Kentuckians were food insecure with 1.1% responding positively to often not having enough to eat and 5.4% responding to sometimes not having enough to eat. More than 66% of those who were food insecure responded experiencing at least one day without food or money to buy food. Of those indicating at least one day without food, 88.5% reported that this was due to not having enough money, food stamps, or WIC vouches. Households with children had more than double the rate of food insecurity than households without children. The percent of food insecure minorities was 14.5%, almost triple the non-Hispanic white level of 5.2%.

Conclusion: The results of the Kentucky Survey on food insecurity closely mirrored national survey data. Vulnerable populations were the impoverished, those with less formal education, families with children, and minorities. It appears that the Kentucky Research Survey Center's Kentucky Survey is a relatively inexpensive, expedient method to monitor food insecurity trends in Kentucky