The Impact of Cumulative Family Risks on Food Insecure Households with Young Children

Daphne C. Hernandez, University of Houston

The study uses the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (N = 2,025) to examine the relationship between four cumulative family risk indices and various levels of food insecurity among poor and non-poor households with young children. Regression analyses indicate that cumulative family risk indices are useful in differentiating various levels of food insecurity. Specifically, the financial strain index is pertinent in differentiating between marginal food secure and food secure among non-poor households. In addition, the maternal poor health and risky health behaviors index is pertinent in distinguishing (1) food insecure from marginal food secure households and (2) very low food secure from low food secure households. Implications for improving the resiliency of families at risk for experiencing food insecurity are discussed.