USDA national survey

• Anxiety that the household food budget or food supply may be insufficient to meet basic needs;

• The experience of running out of food, without money to obtain more;

• Perceptions by the respondent that the food eaten by household members was inadequate in quality or quantity;

• Adjustments to normal food use, substituting fewer and cheaper foods than usual;

• Instances of reduced food intake by adults in the household, or consequences of reduced intake such as the physical sensation of hunger or loss of weight; and

• Instances of reduced food intake, or consequences of reduced intake, for children in the household.

• The experience of running out of food without money to obtain more;

• Instances of not being able to afford to eat balanced meals;

• Adjustments to normal food use, cutting the size of meals or skipping meals because there wasn't enough money for food;

• Instances of reduced food intake due to a lack of money for food

• Instances of reduced food intake despite feeling hungry due to a lack of money for food

• Subjective interpretation of the survey questions

• Use of the Likert Scale (assigns numerical values to qualitative survey selection)

• Respondent burden

• More commen with the 18-item survey (50-60 questions)

• 6-item survey does not address children's hunger (most severe case of food insecurity)

• Use more precise or defined wording throughout the survey

• Example question: "In the last 12 months, (I/we) couldn't afford to eat balanced meals."

• Define "balanced"

• Shorten the time frame

• Questions are framed within the scope of 12 months

• Lack of recall associated with this frame of measurement