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The Measurement of Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Author

Listed:
  • Elena Carrillo-Álvarez

    (Global Research on Wellbeing (GRoW) Research Group, Blanquerna School of Health Science, Ramon Llull University, Padilla, 326-332, 08025 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Blanca Salinas-Roca

    (Global Research on Wellbeing (GRoW) Research Group, Blanquerna School of Health Science, Ramon Llull University, Padilla, 326-332, 08025 Barcelona, Spain
    Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Lleida, Montserrat Roig 2, 25198 Lleida, Spain)

  • Lluís Costa-Tutusaus

    (Global Research on Wellbeing (GRoW) Research Group, Blanquerna School of Health Science, Ramon Llull University, Padilla, 326-332, 08025 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Raimon Milà-Villarroel

    (Global Research on Wellbeing (GRoW) Research Group, Blanquerna School of Health Science, Ramon Llull University, Padilla, 326-332, 08025 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Nithya Shankar Krishnan

    (Global Research on Wellbeing (GRoW) Research Group, Blanquerna School of Health Science, Ramon Llull University, Padilla, 326-332, 08025 Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

The measurement of food insecurity is essential to monitor the prevalence, risk factors, consequences and effects of food insecurity and the interventions and policies implemented to tackle it. Yet, how best to apply it remains an unsettled issue due to the multifaceted and context-dependent nature of food insecurity. We report a scoping review of measures of food insecurity at the individual and household level in high-income countries with the final purpose of facilitating a catalogue of instruments to be used by both researchers and practitioners. The scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. We included all types of documents published between 2000–2020 using instruments that estimate food insecurity at both individual and household level in high-income countries, and with respondents including adolescents, adults, and elderly. We identified a total of 23 measurement strategies being used in 33 peer-reviewed publications and 114 documents from the grey literature. Our results show that most measures focus on the access dimension of food insecurity and that further research is required to develop measures that incorporate aspects of quality of dietary intake and relevant individual, household and social conditions related to food insecurity.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Carrillo-Álvarez & Blanca Salinas-Roca & Lluís Costa-Tutusaus & Raimon Milà-Villarroel & Nithya Shankar Krishnan, 2021. "The Measurement of Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-57, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9829-:d:638131
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nord, Mark & Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Andrews, Margaret & Carlson, Steven, 2010. "Household Food Security in the United States, 2009," Economic Research Report 262246, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Fiona H. McKay & Bronte C. Haines & Matthew Dunn, 2019. "Measuring and Understanding Food Insecurity in Australia: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-27, February.
    3. Jae Yeon Park & Arlette Saint Ville & Timothy Schwinghamer & Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez, 2019. "Heterogeneous factors predict food insecurity among the elderly in developed countries: insights from a multi-national analysis of 48 countries," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(3), pages 541-552, June.
    4. Christopher M. Bacon & Gregory A. Baker, 2017. "The rise of food banks and the challenge of matching food assistance with potential need: towards a spatially specific, rapid assessment approach," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(4), pages 899-919, December.
    5. Merryn Maynard & Lesley Andrade & Sara Packull-McCormick & Christopher M. Perlman & Cesar Leos-Toro & Sharon I. Kirkpatrick, 2018. "Food Insecurity and Mental Health among Females in High-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-36, July.
    6. Craig Gundersen & Monica Hake & Adam Dewey & Emily Engelhard, 2021. "Food Insecurity during COVID‐19," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 153-161, March.
    7. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2017. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2016," Administrative Publications 292099, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    8. Nord, Mark, 2007. "Characteristics of Low-Income Households With Very Low Food Security: An Analysis of the USDA GPRA Food Security Indicator," Economic Information Bulletin 6387, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    9. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2019. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2018," Economic Research Report 301167, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    10. Craig Gundersen & David Ribar, 2011. "Food Insecurity And Insufficiency At Low Levels Of Food Expenditures," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 57(4), pages 704-726, December.
    11. Nord, Mark & Hopwood, Heather, 2008. "A Comparison of Household Food Security in Canada and the United States," Economic Research Report 56488, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    12. Broussard, Nzinga H., 2019. "What explains gender differences in food insecurity?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 180-194.
    13. Gregory, Christian A. & Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, 2017. "Food Insecurity, Chronic Disease, and Health Among Working-Age Adults," Economic Research Report 261813, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    14. Penne, Tess & Goedemé, Tim, 2021. "Can low-income households afford a healthy diet? Insufficient income as a driver of food insecurity in Europe," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    15. Nord, Mark & Golla, Anne Marie, 2009. "Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity? Untangling the Self-Selection Effect," Economic Research Report 55955, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    16. Amanda Lee & Meron Lewis, 2018. "Testing the Price of Healthy and Current Diets in Remote Aboriginal Communities to Improve Food Security: Development of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthy Diets ASAP (Australian Standa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, December.
    17. Elena Grimaccia & Alessia Naccarato, 2020. "Confirmatory factor analysis to validate a new measure of food insecurity: perceived and actual constructs," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1211-1232, August.
    18. Nord, Mark & Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Gregory, Christian, 2014. "Prevalence of U.S. Food Insecurity Is Related to Changes in Unemployment, Inflation, and the Price of Food," Economic Research Report 262213, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    19. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2019. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2018," Administrative Publications 320791, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    20. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Nord, Mark, 2013. "Food Insecurity Among Households With Working-Age Adults With Disabilities," Economic Research Report 142955, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    21. Keumseok Koh & Michelle L. Kaiser & Glennon Sweeney & Karima Samadi & Ayaz Hyder, 2020. "Explaining Racial Inequality in Food Security in Columbus, Ohio: A Blinder–Oaxaca Decomposition Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-15, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Stefano Marchetti & Luca Secondi, 2022. "The Economic Perspective of Food Poverty and (In)security: An Analytical Approach to Measuring and Estimation in Italy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 995-1020, August.
    2. Audrey J. Murrell & Ray Jones & Sam Rose & Alex Firestine & Joe Bute, 2022. "Food Security as Ethics and Social Responsibility: An Application of the Food Abundance Index in an Urban Setting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-13, August.
    3. Gibb, James K. & Williams, Sarah & Mikelsteins, Kaspars & Charles, Jada & McKinnon, Leela & Beach, Laura & McKerracher, Luseadra & Fields, Jessica, 2024. "Queering food security research: A critical analysis of 2SLGBTQ+ People's experiences of food insecurity in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 345(C).

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