High food security Marginal food security Low food security Worry, stretch, juggle Reduce quality and variety of diet Reduce food intake (adults) Reduce food intake of children Very low food security Measuring Household Food Security

“The food that we bought just didn’t last, and we didn’t have money to get more.” Was that often, sometimes or never true for you in the last 12 months? In the last 12 months, did you ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food? In the last 12 months, did you ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough money for food? Examples of Food Security Survey Questions

Theory of multiple-indicator measures Food insecurity Indicator #2 Indicator #3 Indicator #1 Indicator #4

Probability That a Respondent Affirms Item as Function of Severity of Food Insecurity Experienced log[p/(1-p)] = householdseverity - itemseverity

Response Functions of 6 Items with Different Severity but Equal Discrimination

Raw score Categories of food security Food secure... Food insecure... High food security Low food security Very low food security Marginal food security