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Northern Illinois University

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News Release

Contact: Mark McGowan, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-9472

December 8, 2003

NIU report on ‘food security’ reminds
holiday revelers of nutritional disparity

DeKalb — As most Americans gather this month for abundant amounts of turkey, ham, chocolate and perhaps even fruitcake, many in the northern Illinois region will face a more sparse plate.

Such a statement is common knowledge – and heard frequently at this time of year – but the nutritional issues of the low-income population go far beyond simple hunger.

Many have “food insecurity,” a sense that they are unable to provide adequate food for themselves and family. Food insecurity can lead them to go without food, to eat too much food, to make unhealthy food choices or to force unwise food behaviors on their children. Many of the food insecure also lack the knowledge necessary to change or even to know where to seek information and help.

Food security means having access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. The food must be readily available by legal and socially acceptable means, nutritionally adequate and safe.

“People in our back yard and next door to us may not be getting their food needs met, or fear that they won’t get their food needs met,” said Ellen Parham, a professor in the Northern Illinois University School of Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences and coordinator of the dietetics, nutrition and food systems program.

“They probably run out of food and run out of money before they get another stock. They may get to the point where there’s not anything to eat, or what’s available may not be adequate or quality, or they’re not comfortable with the means to get it,” she added. “A food pantry is usually everyone’s last resort.”

Food insecurity can cause a feast-or-famine mentality.

“They may have to go to their sister’s house to eat. Their children then are not hungry, and they’re not hungry, but this is not really acceptable. When people have had that experience, we hope that they will manage more effectively next time, but more likely they will anticipate the insecurity and act unwisely,” she said.

“A wise behavior is to say, ‘I’ve got this amount of money to last this amount of time. I’m budgeting to buy the most frugal foods.’ In someone who has had the experience of food insecurity, they might say, ‘Oh, we made it through the month. Now we’ve got some money. Let’s go and have some steaks. Let’s invite the family over.’ Not everyone who is food insecure suffers actual hunger or malnutrition, but they all expect to. This is, in part, a factor that contributes to the higher incidence of obesity among low-income people. A person anticipating hunger will overeat when food is available.”

Parham and others in Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences, located in the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences, conducted an assessment of the nutritional education needs of low-income residents in NIU’s 17-county service region.

According to an October study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 11 percent of households nationally are food insecure some time within the year. Households most likely to experience food insecurity are those with children and a single female parent or guardian.

In Illinois, the USDA reports, 8.6 percent of homes are food insecure.

NIU’s study surveyed 119 food pantry clients from eight counties. Less than half – only 45 percent – indicated any participation in the food stamp program.

Ages ranged from 18 to 90. Most – 81 percent – were white. Hispanics, however, are under-represented in the study. Many declined to participate because they did not speak or read English and could not complete the survey questionnaire.

Eighty percent report running out of food before the end of the month at least sometimes, and 42 percent indicated they run out food either most or all of the time. For most, this situation is what sends them to the pantry.

“In a household with children, it’s usually the adults who will go hungry. They’ll cut back on their intake in order to feed the children, which, of course, is the appropriate thing to do, because the children’s needs are more pressing,” Parham said. But “most food pantries are limited by funding, what they have available and what facilities the family has. If they don’t have a refrigerator, you can’t give them milk.”

Other sources of food – or ways to make the food last longer – include skipping meals, donating blood, prayer, begging or even gardening.

Nearly all of the respondents (89 percent) say they compare prices when shopping for groceries, and 84 percent indicated a desire to learn how to make their money go farther.

Unfortunately, Parham said, stretching a dollar is a difficult task for anyone and does not always lead to nutritionally sound decisions.

“Middle-income people who’ve tried to live on the budget of a low-income person find that they can just barely do it. It’s a full-time job just trying to figure out how to make your money last,” she said. “We take someone who is dealing with a lot anyway, and then they’re trying to do this very, very demanding job of trying to stretch this money. They’re eating food that appears to give you more for the money: You can get a lot more bread if you go to the store and buy the cheapest white bread, rather than the seven-grain bread that would be better for you.”

NIU’s study also determined most food pantry clients – 54 percent – receive nutritional information at the pantries, where the workers rarely have a background in dietetics.

“Food pantry workers are usually not professionals but volunteers,” Parham said. “There’s no requirement they be able to give nutritional education along with a bag of food.”

Clients also reported seeking advice from the Women, Infants and Children program (29 percent), television programs (28 percent) and hospitals (22 percent). Only 3 percent said they receive information from the University of Illinois Extension Family Nutrition Program.

Meanwhile, the survey respondents demonstrated a great need for more information about nutrition and the services available.

“Not all the programs available to people are being utilized,” Parham said. “This is always an issue. Part of it’s pride. Part of it’s misconception about eligibility. People are afraid that if they sign up for support, they will get into trouble somehow. Sometimes it’s just plain ignorance. People just don’t know the program exists.”

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