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Indicator: Adequate Food

Data and Data Discussion provided by Communities Count

Figure 1: Percent of King County Adults Who Report that Household Food Money Does Not Last, by Region

Figure 2: Percent of King County Adults who Report that Food Money Does not Last, By Age Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Income and Education

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Access to Fresh Food --- Although most of Seattle has geographic access to a grocery store, many of these grocery stores do not have sufficient variety and supply of affordable high-quality food for their customers. Between 2004 and 2006, prices rose faster for fresh food compared to processed commodity foods. However, insufficient data exists to determine a trend.   (view data graph)
  •   Organic Farm Trends --- The number of certified organic farms in King County has more than tripled from 7 in 1995 to 23 in 2002, and remained relatively constant since then. The amount of acreage in organic production increased substantially in 2007.   (view data graph)
  •   Living Wage --- Almost half of all jobs do not provide enough income for a family of 4 with 2 full-time wage earners. Because this indicator is measured differently than in previous years, it is difficult to make comparisons.  (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Income Distribution --- In the two decades between 1979 and 2007, income has shifted from the four lower income groups to the highest income group.   (view data graph)
  •   High School Graduation Rate --- 91.7 percent of King County residents aged 25 and older had a high school education or greater, while the on-time graduation rate for high school students in King County in 2005 was 76.5%. No statistically significant trends were observed in the preceding 5 years.   (view data graph)
  •   Diabetes Rate --- Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in King County, more than doubling during the past decade, with nearly 6 percent of county residents diagnosed as diabetic in 2006. Even more are unaware that they have the condition. Diabetes prevalence is likely to continue to increase as the percentage of obese in the population increases.   (view data graph)
  •   Low Birth Weight Rate --- The rate of low birth rates in King County increased significantly from 1999 to 2004. In 2004, 6.4 percent of infants born in King County were low birth weight or 1,455 infants. However, this increase was mainly due to an increase in the proportion of multiple births. There was no increase in low birth weight infants for singleton births.   (view data graph)
  •   Prevalence of Overweight & Obese Adults --- The proportion of King County adults who are overweight and obese continues to climb. • The combined percent of overweight and obese adults has increased in each of the four regions of King County since 1994.  (view data graph)
  •   Physical and Mental Health Restrictions --- The percentage of King County adults with severe activity limitation increased between 1998 and 2007. This local finding is consistent with national trends. This local increase corresponds to worsening trends nationally.  (view data graph)
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Related Goals

The availability and nutritional value of food plays an important role in shaping a child's ability to learn. Having access to the right quantity, quality and types of food determines food security for an individual or community.

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Sustainability Snapshot:

Washington State has long struggled with high rates of food insecurity. From 1997 to 2001, the state ranked second highest in food insecurity out of the fifty states. Since then, the percentage of families struggling to put food on the table has dropped, primarily because of an increase in food assistance. In 2007, Washington ranked 30th. That food security persists reflects the number of families who scrape by on less than living wages.

Sustainability Trend:

Compared to 2003, fewer adults (6.8% of the population) in 2007 reported that household food money often or sometimes did not last. Fewer people in East Region said their household food money often or sometimes did not last compared to Seattle, South Region or King County as a whole.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Percent of Adults Age 18+ Who Report That Household Food Money Didn't Last by region and by income, education, age and race/ethnicity.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

Food insecurity is officially defined as “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” In a 2007 survey, King County adults were asked how frequently in the past month their household ran out of food and did not have money to purchase more. 5.1% of adults reported this happened sometimes and 1.7% reported it happened often, totaling 6.8%. The remaining 93.2% reported never running out of food money (data not shown).

This survey question was asked for the first time in 2003, but not again until 2007. Compared to 2003, fewer adults in 2007 reported that household food money often or sometimes did not last. Fewer people in East Region said their household food money often or sometimes did not last compared to Seattle, South Region or King County as a whole. (Figure 1) In North Region, 8.2 reported their household food money often or sometimes did not last. In the same 2007 survey, 8.4% of King County adults reported they could not always afford to eat balanced meals. The East Region (3.3%) rate was lower than the County rate and lower than for Seattle (10.8%) and South Region (10.4%). In North Region, 8.9% of adults could not always afford to eat balanced meals (data not shown).

From 1996 to 2006, the prevalence of food insecurity in the U.S. has been unchanged at around 11.3%. In Washington State, food insecurity has declined from an average of 13.2% in 1996-98 to 10.3% in 2004-06 (data not shown).

Not surprisingly, not having enough food money is more likely as household income decreases. In King County, household food money often or sometimes did not last for 37.1% of people with incomes of less than $15,000 per year. Households with annual incomes less than $15,000 were almost 6 times more likely to often or sometimes not have enough food money than households with an annual income between $35,000 and $49,999. People with a college degree were less likely to run out of food money than those with less formal education. Adults with less than a high school degree were over 20 times more likely to often or sometimes run out of food money than college graduates. People below the age of 45, especially 18-24 year olds, were more likely to experience food money not lasting than people in the older age groups. African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos were more likely to often or sometimes run out of food money than whites or Asians. (Figure 2) Women were more likely than men to report that household food money sometimes or often did not last. It is not known how many King County residents rely on government or charitable food programs in order to have enough food for themselves and their families.

The data for this indicator was collected prior to the economic downturn began in 2008, and does not reflect food insecurity that may be related to that.

Data Source and Limitations

Data were contributed by Communities Count (www.communitiescount.org) and are from the Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS is a random telephone interview survey of non-institutionalized adults age 18 and older that has been conducted in King County every year since 1987. The questions about food security concerns have not been asked since 1999. The questions about food money not lasting and not being able to afford balanced meals were asked in 2003. The geographic boundaries of the four King County subregions are defined by aggregating zip codes.

The limitations of an English-only telephone survey include the following: a) people who do not have a telephone are missed, b) people who do not speak English do not participate, c) people who have less education and lower incomes tend to be underrepresented. The sample of people reached in a telephone survey will not include those people who might be most in need of more or better food—that is the homeless and those unable to afford to have telephones.

 

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Additional Resources

  • Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact On Our Nation
    This 2009 report by Feeding America is the first of its kind to discuss the connection between our nation's childhood hunger issues and the negative effects this has on our economy's competitive edge. The report describes how childhood hunger leads to future health and education problems which results in job readiness and workforce problems.
  • Hunger in Washington 2006
    For the first time, this November 2006 report gives regional food insecurity within Washington State in addition to the state's national ranking.
  • Hunger in America 2006 - Local Report Prepared for Food Lifeline
    This report presents information on the clients and agencies served by Food Lifeline, an emergency food provider serving clients throughout Western Washington. The national study, Hunger in America 2006, from which this information was drawn is the most comprehensive study of domestic hunger ever taken in the U.S. The report provides a wealth of statistics on who uses emergency food services and the types of service provided.