Food Insecurity During Childhood: Understanding Persistence and Change Using Linked Current Population Survey Data

contract number AG-3198-B-10-0028. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and should not be construed as representing the opinions or policies of the UKCPR or any agency of the Federal Government. Our paper examines the prevalence and determinants of children's transitions into and out of food insecurity since 2001. We use longitudinally linked data from the Food Security Supplements to the Current Population Surveys to estimate one-year transition probabilities of entry and exit from food insecurity. Our results indicate that child hunger is typically short-lived, but children experiencing very low food security frequently experience multiple consecutive years of food insecurity. We demonstrate large demographic and socioeconomic differences in rates of entry into very low food security and persistence in children's food insecurity. Income and employment shocks are important predictors of child hunger transitions. Finally, we find that the Great Recession increased the likelihood that children entered into and persisted in food insecurity among children. Executive Summary Because of a lack of nationally representative longitudinal data on children's food insecurity in the United States, we know very little about the dynamics of movements into or out of food insecurity among children, the duration of food insecurity among children, and the policy levers which affect movement. Using longitudinally linked data from the Current Population Survey (IPUMS-CPS), we estimate one-year transition rates of exits and entry into very low food security status. In other words, we ask how common is it for children to become food insecure, and once food insecure, to remain food insecure. Next, we examine the demographic and economic determinants of food insecurity entry and exit. Our analysis shows that on average, 5% of previously food secure children newly entered food insecurity each year, experiencing reductions in the quality or quantity of food they consumed. This includes nearly 1 percent who entered very low food security among children, in the food intake of at least one child was reduced or disrupted. Among all food insecure children, 40% overall persisted in food insecurity the following year. Nearly one-fifth of households experiencing very low food insecurity among children persisted in this status for a second consecutive year. Both the prevalence and persistence in very low food security among children increased during the Great Recession. Although experiencing multiple years of very low food security is unusual, children who experience very low food security commonly experience multiple years of …