Food insecurity and disability: Do economic resources matter?

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between work disability and food insecurity, and tests whether the positive association between disability and food insecurity is accounted for by two mechanisms: economic resources and/or competing consumption needs. A sample (N=6,997) is chosen from the 1999 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) with over 1,200 households headed by people with disabilities. Findings support both mechanisms but depending on the levels of food insecurity and the types of family economic resources, their success at explaining the relationship of disability with food insecurity varies. In addition, we find that household assets are more effective than income in protecting people with disabilities against food insecurity. Implications for disability policy and food assistance programs are discussed.

Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of Food Security through a Disability Studies Lens

“…These are areas of obvious importance to disabled people. Disabled people face certain barriers in gaining food security to a higher degree than non-disabled people such as poverty (Beresford, 1996;J. Huang et al, 2010;Meyer & Mok, 2009;Rosano et al, 2009;Yeo & Moore, 2003) and unique barriers such as challenges with mobility and transportation (D. L. Huang et al, 2012;Kaye et al, 2013) and barriers to specific programs such as the U.S.…”

“…Poverty is one cause of food insecurity (J. Huang et al, 2010;Tarasuk et al, 2013). Disabled people experience high level of poverty (Beresford, 1996;J.…”

“…Huang et al, 2010;Tarasuk et al, 2013). Disabled people experience high level of poverty (Beresford, 1996;J. Huang et al, 2010;Rosano, Mancini, & Solipaca, 2009;Yeo & Moore, 2003).…”

“…According to Huang et al the poverty rate in the USA for disabled people was 23.7% in 2003, in contrast to 7.7% for the so called non-disabled population (J. Huang et al, 2010). (Herman et al, 2014) reported an increased risk for obesity among people with disabilities associated with household food insecurity.…”

High vulnerability to household food insecurity in a sample of Canadian renter households in government-subsidized housing

“…The selection of indicators of household material circumstances was informed by previous literature documenting household conditions related to food insecurity [4][5][6][7]14,15,23 and by the necessity to achieve parsimony due to the small sample size. Since food insecurity is measured at the household level, the selected characteristics described the household rather than the individual.…”