2.2. Measure of Food Insecurity
The six-item food security scale is an instrument created by the USDA developed to determine the level of food security of individuals [There are six-items from the USDA Food Security Short Form which measure food insecurity experienced within the last 12 months. These six items are:“In the last 12 months, the food that (I/we) bought just didn’t last, and (I/we) didn’t have money to get more.”“In the last 12 months, (I/we) couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.”“In the last 12 months, since last (name of current month), did (you/you or other adults in your household) ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?”“How often did this (cut the size of or skip meals) happen—almost every month, some months but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months?”“In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn’t enough money for food?”“In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry but didn’t eat because there wasn’t enough money for food?”