Scale Overview
The U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module: Short Form was developed by Bickel, G., Nord, M., Price, C., Hamilton, W., & Cook, J. (2000). It is designed to measure Food Insecurity. The scale is intended for use with General population / Households.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 6 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Affirmative response (Often true, Sometimes true, Yes, Almost every month, or Some months), 0 = Non-affirmative response (Never true, No, Only 1 or 2 months, Don't know, or Refused).
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 6. Interpretation guidelines:
- Food secure: 0 – 1
- Food insecure without hunger: 2 – 4
- Food insecure with hunger: 5 – 6
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.