Journal of Nutrition Supplement (2006)

See also: Household Food Insecurity Access Scale for Measurement of Food Access: Indicator Guide, Version 3

The Journal of Nutrition is the principal forum for disseminating U.S.-based research on food insecurity scales. It also published most of the studies dealing with the application of food insecurity scales in developing countries. The Journal of Nutrition Supplement presents the results of the FANTA-led Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) initiatives, including:

• findings of the first studies to develop and validate food insecurity scales from the “ground up” in a developing country context

• findings of the first cross-country study to compare the performance of the same set of food insecurity items in four dramatically different cultures

• results of a cross-country review of food insecurity scale applications and its implications for the development of a universal measurement tool

• status of the process to develop a universal measurement tool

There are six articles in the supplement.

1. Measuring Household Food Insecurity: Why It’s So Important and Yet So Difficult to Do
   Patrick Webb et al.
   Journal of Nutrition (2006) 136: 1404S-1408S

2. Development and Validation of an Experience-Based Measure of Household Food Insecurity within and across Seasons in Northern Burkina Faso
   Edward A. Frongillo and Siméon Nanama
   Journal of Nutrition (2006) 136: 1409S-1419S.

3. Comparison of a Qualitative and a Quantitative Approach to Developing a Household Food Insecurity Scale for Bangladesh
   Jennifer Coates et al.
   Journal of Nutrition (2006) 136: 1420S-1430S

4. Household Food Insecurity and Food Expenditure in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and the Philippines
   Hugo R. Melgar-Quinonez et al.
   Journal of Nutrition (2006) 136: 1431S-1437S

5. Commonalities in the Experience of Household Food Insecurity across Cultures: What Are Measures Missing?
   Jennifer Coates et al.
   Journal of Nutrition (2006) 136: 1438S-1448S

6. Development of a Universally Applicable Household Food Insecurity Measurement Tool: Process, Current Status, and Outstanding Issues
   Anne Swindale and Paula Bilinsky
   Journal of Nutrition(2006) 136: 1449S-1452S

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FANTA also led an effort to identify additional simple-to-use indicators of the access component of household food insecurity. Two indicators have been identified as a result of this process: the Household Dietary Diversity Score and months of inadequate household food provisioning. FANTA developed the following guides for these indicators that provide standardized questionnaires together with data collection and analysis instructions:

Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) for Measurement of Household Food Access: Indicator Guide [202 kb]

Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (MAHFP) for Measurement of Household Food Access: Indicator Guide [181 kb]

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