Family Structure and Child Food Insecurity: Evidence from the Current Population Survey

Food insecurity—the lack of consistent access to adequate amounts of food—remains a reality for many American families. Although children are usually protected from reductions in food intake even in households with low food security, about 8 percent of all households with children also experienced reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns. The research on child food insecurity and family structure is limited and the findings are mixed. Given the increasing complexity of families in the U.S., combined with sustained high levels of food insecurity during the last decade, a closer examination of this relationship is warranted. Using data from multiple years of the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (N = 39,619 households) this study finds that children growing up in complex family households are more vulnerable to food insecurity, on average, than children growing up in two biological married-parent households. The results also show higher odds of child food insecurity among single mother households than among married biological or married stepfamilies suggesting a protective effect of marriage beyond economic resources.