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

Public Health Nutrition

Bruce W Furness¹  Cheryl M Wold¹  Paul A Simon¹  Johanna Asarian-Anderson¹ 

关键词: Food security;    Low income;    Los Angeles;    Poverty;    Nutrition;   

DOI  :  10.1079/PHN2004608

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Cambridge University Press

【 摘 要 】

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.

【 授权许可】

Unknown