Cornell-Radimer hunger scale measures household food security in Java
Summary of published paper*
Field Exchange 6 reported on the use of the Radimer-Cornell hunger scale to measure prevalence of hunger in the Russian Federation. One of the conclusions of the Russian study was that the scale may be useful in providing early warning that dietary quality and diversity in a population are worsening before frank malnutrition (as measured by anthropometry) becomes prevalent. Classifying individuals on the basis of household and individual hunger is a simple and straightforward way of identifying those households that would benefit from different kinds of intervention.
A more recent study in Java is the first time the tool has been used in an emergency setting. In 1997/8 Indonesia was struck by severe economic crisis exacerbated by El-Niño induced droughts and significant political change. By May 1998 food prices had increased by 74% compared to the year before and there were concerns about the overall supply of rice. Data on food security at household level remained scant and largely anecdotal. Speculation about food supply, and widespread concern about a subsequent increase in prevalence of malnutrition, were based almost entirely on price and supply indicators.
The survey was carried out in June-August 1998 involving 1423 mothers with children under five years of age. Qualitative and quantitative data contributed to understanding food insecurity. The questions asked, responses and method of classifying household food security can be seen in figures 1 and 2. The data showed substantial household food insecurity with 94.2% of households found to be uncertain or insecure about their food situation in the previous year. Overall, 11% of respondents reported losing weight in the previous year because of lack of food. Food security in Java was undoubtedly compromised by the economic crisis. This study has demonstrated how the tool provides a useful measure for rapidly assessing food insecurity in an emergency. Further research to validate the approach in various settings is warranted.
| Figure 1. Outline of responses to household food security questions | |
| Question | Positive response |
| 1. Do you worry that your family may run out of food before you have money to buy again? | 79.2% |
| 2. Do you worry that you may not be able to afford to buy adequate food? | 76.9% |
| 3. Do you wish you could buy more food if you had more money? | 68.7% |
| 4. Has your family ever run out of food because you do not have more money to buy food? | 33.2% |
| 5. Has your family ever eaten the same type of food for several consecutive days because you do not have enough money to buy different food? | 40.7% |
| 6. Have you ever eaten less than you want because you do not have enough money to buy food? | 30.8% |
| 7. Have your children, according to you, not had enough to eat because you do not have enough money to buy food? | 24.4% |
| 8. Do you have enough money to buy healthy and nutritious food for your children? | 19.0% |
| 9. Sometimes a person's body weight drops because of not eating enough. Has your body weight dropped in the last year because of the lack of food? | 11.1% |
| Figure 2. Method of classification of household food security | |
| Category | Classification based on responses to household questions (figure 1) |
| Food secure | No affirmative response |
| Uncertain about food | Affirmative response to questions 1 and/or 2 only |
| Insecurity for family | Affirmative response to Q 3,4 and/or 5 but not Q 6,7 or 9 and at least two affirmative responses |
| Insecurity for adults | Affirmative responses to Q6 but not Q 7,8 or 9 and at least three affirmative responses |
| Severe insecurity for children and adults | Affirmative responses to Q 7,8 and/or 9 and at least four affirmative responses |
*Studdert L., Frongillo E. and Valois P. (2001): Household food insecurity was prevalent in Java during Indonesia's economic crisis. Journal of Nutrition, Volume 131, pp 2685-2691
More like this
FEX: Differences in food insecurity between adults and children in Zimbabwe
Summary of published research1 Mother and child harvesting sweet potato on communal land in Zimbabwe A variety of methods have been utilised to assess food insecurity,...
FEX: DRC experiences of cash assistance to non-camp refugees in Lebanon and Turkey
By Louisa Seferis Louisa is the MENA Regional Livelihoods & Cash Advisor for the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). She has worked for three years with the DRC for the Syrian...
en-net: Phone-based screening/ early detection of wasting (escalated question to the Wasting TWG)
Phone-based screening/ early detection - where family/ mothers' MUAC is not possible, can mobile-phone based SAM/MAM screening questions be used to identify malnourished...
en-net: How much would an average family need to plant annually to achieve food security?
I wondered if anyone had any information on how much an average family would need to plant annually to achieve food security? Our team in Uganda are trying to investigate this...
FEX: India, 'the Silent Emergency'
Cynically it is unfortunate that the "hunger " problem in India is not primarily one of mass starvation which would attract international attention but rather one of...
en-net: RUTF sell
I have come across a situation where RUTF was diverted for sell on the market in some places-pocket and isolated cases, nonetheless the product was in the market system. Has...
FEX: The social life of nutrition among Syrian refugees in Jordan
By Luigi Achilli and Raymond Apthorpe Luigi Achilli is research associate at the Institut Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO) in Amman. He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in...
FEX: Measuring Hunger in the Russian Federation
Summary of published paper. Between February 1992 and May 1994 CARE US responded to the health and food security crisis in the former Soviet Union by establishing a survey unit...
en-net: Exclusive breastfeeding and use of traditional colic medicines
I have recently led a review of a programme in the delta of Myanmar where cash has been given to mothers with babies under 6 months, to enable them to stay at home and...
FEX: Postscript to 'Reconstruction in Bosnia'
We asked Alberteen Van der Veen who has recently been working in the region on behalf of ECHO to comment on this article and where appropriate update information. In 1996,...
en-net: Sample size calculation on IYCF indicators in small scale survey
Dear Practitioners We are planning to conduct a baseline survey which is aimed to capture information for malnutrition and IYCF but also hygiene, other micronutrient...
FEX: Impact of Food Delays on Refugees
Author: Lina Payne - Food Researcher Resettlement programme, N. Uganda, Oxfam Between 1995 and 1997, Ikafe and Imvepi settlements in Arua District, North Uganda,...
FEX: Spotting the invisible crisis: early warning indicators in urban slums of Nairobi, Kenya
By Lilly Schofield, Shukri F Mohamed, Elizabeth Wambui Kimani-Murage, Frederick Murunga Wekesah, Blessing Mberu and Thaddaeus Egondi, Catherine Kyobutungi and Remare Ettarh...
FEX: Letter on 'silent emergency' in India, by Rita Bhatia
Geneva Foundation Patrick Brooke Janice Pritchard-Jones Joseph Gettier Dear Editors, Having read issue 4 of Field Exchange I wish to comment on the article "Novel...
en-net: Is MAM treatment still relevant ?
Given the available knowledge on the impact of MAM treatment vs nutrition prevention activities on the reduction of child undernutrition and mortality, and the huge investment...
FEX: Determining eligibility (Special Supplement 1)
Children are often a group targeted in emergencies Eligibility criteria, i.e. the characteristics of those individuals or households to be targeted with food, arise from the...
FEX: Impact of HIV/AIDS on household food security and quality of life in Malawi
Summary of evaluation1 By Shannon Senefeld, Catholic Relief Services Shannon Senefeld is the Regional Technical Advisor, HIV/AIDS with Catholic Relief Services for the...
en-net: Local production for alternative RUTF in Burundi
I'm due to travel to Burundi in early July to conduct research with an international NGO. My project is to investigate the viability of establishing local production for a food...
en-net: Nutrition assessment in small pieces livelihood zones
Unfortunately, our nutrition program fall under three livelihood area. The total program catchment population is about 120,000. The proportion of population in the three...
FEX: Promoting Good Nutrition and Food Security in the Gaza Strip
by Jane Hanon (Terre Des Hommes, Gaza) The Gaza strip lies on the Mediterranean Coast between Egypt and Israel. It has an area of 360 square kilometres and just under one...
Reference this page
Cornell-Radimer hunger scale measures household food security in Java. Field Exchange 15, April 2002. p3. www.ennonline.net/fex/15/cornell
(ENN_3566)