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Prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among low-income households in Los Angeles County

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Bruce W Furness ,
Paul A Simon ,
Cheryl M Wold  and
Johanna Asarian-Anderson
Bruce W Furness*
Affiliation:
Preventive Medicine Residency, DAPHT/EPO/CDC, 717 14th Street NW, Suite 950/Box 14, Washington, DC 20005, USA Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, USA
Paul A Simon
Affiliation:
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, USA
Cheryl M Wold
Affiliation:
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, USA
Johanna Asarian-Anderson
Affiliation:
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Email bff0@cdc.gov
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Abstract

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Objectives:

To assess the prevalence and identify the predictors of food insecurity among households in Los Angeles County with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level.

Methods:

The Six-Item Short Form of the US Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Scale was used as part of a 1999 county-wide, population-based, telephone survey.

Results:

The prevalence of food insecurity was 24.4% and was inversely associated with household income. Other independent predictors of food insecurity included the presence of children in the household (odds ratio (OR) 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–2.3) and a history of homelessness in the past five years (OR 5.6, 95% CI 3.4–9.4).

Conclusion:

Food insecurity is a significant public health problem among low–income households in Los Angeles County. Food assistance programmes should focus efforts on households living in and near poverty, those with children, and those with a history of homelessness.

Keywords

Food securityLow incomeLos AngelesPovertyNutrition
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 7 , Issue 6 , September 2004 , pp. 791 - 794
Copyright
Copyright © CAB International 2004

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