Food for Thought: Food Stamps, Food Insecurity and Disability
- Presenter:
Mon June 5, 2006 9:30-10:45 Room Alumni Lounge
Food insecurity, defined as having insufficient funds to enable families to purchase enough food to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, is particularly problematic in impoverished households. Disabled impoverished persons, in particular those who live alone, may be more susceptible to food insecurity as functional limitations may impede their ability to purchase and prepare food. The association between food insecurity and disability among the impoverished was assessed using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) for 2003. The PSID is a longitudinal study of a representative sample of U.S. individuals and the family units in which they reside. The study collected economic and health information on 7822 families in 2003. Household food insecurity was calculated from the USDA 18 core item food security module. The household head or spouse was defined as disabled if they reported having difficulty with one or more activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living. Food stamp participation information was used to identify 728 families receiving food stamps in 2003. Results from our analysis suggested that among households receiving food stamps in 2003, 41.3% of disabled households were food insecure relative to only 26.3% of non-disabled households. Results from our multivariate analysis revealed that households whose head and or spouse was disabled were at increased risk of being food secure in comparison to households whose head and/or spouse had no disability. Food insecurity may be reduced by the Food Stamp Program; however, the program is significantly less able to minimize the probability of food insecurity in disabled households. These results suggest that the food stamp program is in need of reform in order to be better able to address the needs of the disabled.
