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Metropolitan Status and Food Security (15.4.1)

Table 15.4.1 tabulates answers to three child-related food security questions by metropolitan status.  For all three questions, the answer placed first in the table is the one that indicates a lower status on the food security scale.

Overall, there is a consistent tendency in this population for children in non-metropolitan areas to be moderately more food secure than households in either of the two metropolitan categories.

Table 15.4.1
URBAN/METROPOLITAN STATUS AND CHILD FOOD SECURITY QUESTIONS

		Urban/Metropolitan Status
	All Client Households with One or More Children Younger than 18	Center City	Metro, not Center City	Nonmetro
Child did not eat enough because not enough money a
Often true	5.4%	3.5%	5.3%	6.1%
Sometimes true	21.7%	19.6%	21.6%	22.4%
Never true	72.9%	76.9%	73.1%	71.5%
TOTAL	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%
SAMPLE SIZE (N)	16,923	3,809	5,416	7,698
Child skipped meals because there was not enough moneyb
Yes	13.7%	10.8%	13.6%	14.7%
No	86.3%	89.2%	86.4%	85.3%
TOTAL	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%
SAMPLE SIZE (N)	16,914	3,799	5,409	7,706
Child went hungry because there was not enough money b
Yes	16.5%	14.0%	17.6%	16.7%
No	83.5%	86.0%	82.4%	83.3%
TOTAL	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%
SAMPLE SIZE (N)	16,854	3,783	5,398	7,673

Note:
In calculating percentages and sample sizes, we excluded item nonresponses to all variables involved.

a Statistically significant based on chi-square test (d.f. = 4) at the 1% level.

b Statistically significant based on chi-square test (d.f. = 2) at the 1% level.

Findings presented in Table 15.4.1 include:

• 23.1% of the households served in center city areas, 26.9% of the households served in suburban areas (metropolitan areas outside center cities), and 28.5% of the households served in nonmetropolitan areas answered that their children often or sometimes did not eat enough during the past year because there was not enough money to buy more food.
• 10.8% of the households served in center city areas, 13.6% of those served in suburban areas (metropolitan areas outside center cities), and 14.7% of those served in nonmetropolitan areas provided an affirmative answer to whether their children skipped a meal during the past year because there was not enough money to buy more food.
• 14.0% of the households served in center city areas, 17.6% of those served in suburban areas (metropolitan areas outside center cities), and 16.7% of those served in nonmetropolitan areas answered that their children went hungry during the past year because there was not enough money to buy more food.