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This study assessed the validity of questionnaire-based measures for the identification of rural households with hunger and food insecurity. Data used were from a 1993 survey of 193 households with women and children living at home in a rural county. Two interviews provided data on demographics, factors contributing to food insecurity, coping strategies, fruit and vegetable consumption, disordered eating behaviors, height, weight, dietary recall and household food-stores inventory. This information was used to develop a definitive criterion measure for hunger and food insecurity to compare with hunger and food insecurity items from Radimer/Cornell, the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP) and the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). The Radimer/Cornell and CCHIP questionnaire-based measures had good specificity (i.e., percentage of truly food secure correctly classified; 63-71%) and excellent sensitivity (i.e., percentage of truly food insecure correctly classified; 84-89%) when compared with the criterion measure. Estimates of the prevalence of household food insecurity from the criterion, Radimer/Cornell and CCHIP measures were almost identical. The overall agreement of the Radimer/Cornell and CCHIP measures was very good. These measures can be validly used to screen for hunger and food insecurity among rural households similar to those studied and to target subpopulations for food programs. The NHANES III item alone had excellent specificity but poor sensitivity, and underestimated prevalence.

Commensality is eating with others, and marriages are among the most significant commensal relationships. We collected qualitative data about commensality and entry into marriage from twenty couples using two in-depth interviews, the first at about the time couples entered marriage and the second about one year later. Commensal eating was an important component of the courtship process. Entry into marriage marked a transformation in people's commensal careers in which their marital relationship became their primary commensal unit. Meal commensality varied across the daily cycle: Many spouses skipped breakfast or ate breakfast separately, most ate lunch at work, and dinner was the main commensal meal. Greater marital commensality occurred on weekends than weekdays. Partners managed involvement in extra-marital commensal circles by combining their former eating networks. Kin were major participants in commensal circles, with friends, coworkers, and neighbors also included as eating partners. Overall, commensality was an important component of the way people 'do marriage'.