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A study was conducted to investigate how imposed healthy eating influences individuals' experienced hunger. It is argued that imposed healthy eating would make people feel hungrier than not eating at all. Findings indicate that the effects of healthy eating depend on consumers' belief that healthy eating is mandatory.

We employ data from the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients to examine the character and correlates of hunger among homeless people. Our analysis, couched in an adaptation framework, finds more support for the differentiation hypothesis than for the leveling hypothesis: Complex patterns of food insecurity exist at the individual level, and they vary with the resources available (e.g., higher monthly income, regular shelter use) and obstacles faced (e.g., alcohol, drug, and physical and mental health problems). The chronically homeless, who suffer from multiple deficits, appear particularly food-insecure, a finding that favors the desperation hypothesis over its street-wisdom alternative. We conclude that hunger is not uniformly experienced by members of the homeless population. Rather, some individuals are better situated than others to cope with the stressful nature of homelessness when addressing their sustenance needs.

The federal government has estimated the prevalence of household 'food insecurity' and 'food insecurity with hunger' since 1995. Early observers believed that the new measure could be used to assess and improve the Food Stamp Program (FSP). Ten years of research have tempered the initial optimism. The prevalence of food insecurity with hunger (12.3% of all low-income households in 2004) is much higher among food stamp participant households (18.6% in 2004) than among low-income nonparticipant households (10.1% in 2004), due to strong self-selection effects. Households facing greater hardship are more likely to join the program. This article reviews 6 types of nonexperimental research designs that have been used to address the self-selection problem. The results have been inconclusive and the authors have warned against drawing causal inferences from their research. Ethical random-assignment research designs may be required to satisfy the intense policy interest in measuring the antihunger impact of the FSP. The most promising ethical research designs would test the effects of offering eligibility to households that are currently ineligible or offering increased benefits to households that are currently eligible for small benefit amounts.

Household food insecurity is higher among minority households in the U.S., but few data exist on households of recent minority immigrants, in part because such households are difficult to sample. Four studies of a total of 317 Latino immigrant families were conducted in different regions and during different seasons in North Carolina. A Spanish translation of the 18-item U.S. Food Security Survey Module was used to assess the prevalence of food insecurity and hunger. In 3 of the studies, a total of 76 in-depth interviews were conducted to gather information on immigrants' experiences of food insecurity. Households in the 4 studies classified as food secure ranged from 28.7 to 50.9%, compared with 82.4% in the U.S. in 2004. Food insecurity without hunger ranged from 35.6% to 41.8%, compared with 13.3% in the U.S. The highest rates of hunger reported were 18.8% (moderate hunger) and 16.8% (severe hunger) in an urban sample. Qualitative data indicate that food insecurity has both quantitative and qualitative effects on diet. Immigrants experience adverse psychological effects of food insecurity. They report experiencing a period of adjustment to food insecurity leading to empowerment to resolve the situation. Reactions to food insecurity differ from those reported by others, possibly because immigrants encounter a new and not chronic situation. Overall, these findings suggest that immigrant Latinos experience significant levels of food insecurity that are not addressed by current governmental programs.

Hunger elicits diverse, yet coordinated, adaptive responses across species, but the underlying signaling mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report on the function and mechanism of the Drosophila insulin-like system in the central regulation of different hunger-driven behaviors. We found that overexpression of Drosophila insulin-like peptides (DILPs) in the nervous system of fasted larvae suppressed the hunger-driven increase of ingestion rate and intake of nonpreferred foods (e.g., a less accessible solid food). Moreover, up-regulation of Drosophila p70/S6 kinase activity in DILP neurons led to attenuated hunger response by fasted larvae, whereas its down-regulation triggered fed larvae to display motivated foraging and feeding. Finally, we provide evidence that neural regulation of food preference but not ingestion rate may involve direct signaling by DILPs to neurons expressing neuropeptide F receptor 1, a receptor for neuropeptide Y-like neuropeptide F. Our study reveals a prominent role of neural Drosophila p70/S6 kinase in the modulation of hunger response by insulin-like and neuropeptide Y-like signaling pathways. Drosophila insulin-like peptide | feeding behavior | food preference | neuropeptide F | neuroendocrine

An understanding of the experience of food insecurity by children is essential for better measurement and assessment of its effect on children's nutritional, physical, and mental health. Our qualitative study explored children's perceptions of household food insecurity to identify these perceptions and to use them to establish components of children's food insecurity experience. Children (n - 32; 11-16 y old) from after school programs and a middle school in low-income areas participated in individual semistructured in-depth interviews. Children as young as 11 y could describe behaviors associated with food insecurity if they had experienced it directly or indirectly. Using the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis, children's descriptions of behaviors associated with food insecurity were categorized into components of quantity of food, quality of food, psychological aspects, and social aspects described in the household food insecurity literature. Aspects of quantity included eating less than usual and eating more or eating fast when food was available. Aspects of quality included use of a few kinds of low-cost foods. Psychological aspects included worry/anxiety/sadness about the family food supply, feelings of having no choice in the foods eaten, shame/fear of being labeled as poor, and attempts to shield children. Social aspects of food insecurity centered on using social networks to acquire food or money and social exclusion. These results provide valuable information in understanding the effect of food insecurity on children's well-being especially relative to the social and emotional aspects of well-being. J. Nutr. 135: 1683-1690, 2005. KEY WORDS: * food security * hunger * children * qualitative research

Hunger and food insecurity are important factors that may affect an individual's nutritional state and should therefore be assessed in nutrition surveillance activities. The objective of this study was to determine the level of food insecurity and hunger among HIV-positive persons accessing antiretroviral therapy in British Columbia. A cross-sectional study was performed in the BC HIV/AIDS drug treatment program, a province-wide source of free-of-charge antiretroviral medications. In 1998-1999, participants completed a questionnaire focusing on personal information, health, and clinical status. Food and hunger issues were evaluated with the Radimer/Cornell questionnaire. Overall, 1213 responding men and women were classified as food secure (52%), food insecure without hunger (27%), or food insecure with hunger (21%). In both categories of food insecurity, individuals were significantly more likely to be women, aboriginals, living with children, and to have less education, a history of recreational injection drug and/or alcohol abuse, and an unstable housing situation (P < 0.05). In logistic multivariate modeling, income [less than or equal to] Can $10,000 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.78, 95% CI (2.53-5.65)], shared household with children [AOR 3.68, 95% CI (1.98-6.84)] and unemployment [AOR 3.15, 95% CI (1.94-5.13)] were the strongest predictors of hunger. In HIV-positive individuals, the occurrence of food insecurity was nearly 5 times higher than in the general Canadian population. The results should stimulate further research to identify to what extent hunger-associated factors are reversible with interventions built on nutritional and/or social strategies. KEY WORDS: * food insecurity * hunger * human immunodeficiency virus * body mass index * antiretroviral therapy

To produce national prevalence estimates for 'food insecurity' and 'food insecurity with hunger,' the USDA uses a battery of 18 survey items about symptoms of food-related hardship. Ten items refer to adults in the household, while 8 items refer to children in the household and hence are not asked of households without children. To equate food-security status in households with and without children, the USDA uses a statistical model from item response theory, known as the Rasch model. This model requires an assumption that adult-referenced items have the same severity calibrations for all households, including households with and without children. However, empirical estimates from the 2000 Current Population Survey showed significantly different severity calibrations for households with and without children. These differences have implications for observable response patterns. Holding constant the number of affirmative responses to adult-referenced items, households with children were more likely to respond that they 'worried food would run out,' and households without children were more likely to be unable to afford 'balanced meals.' In light of such differences, the Rasch model cannot be used to equate the food-security status of households with and without children. One potential solution would be to estimate household food security by using the same battery of adult-referenced survey items for all households. J. Nutr. 134: 1910-1915, 2004. KEY WORDS: * food insecurity * household hunger * Rasch model

The U.S. Household Food Security Scale, developed with federal support for use in national surveys, is an effective research tool. This study uses these new measures to examine associations between food insecurity and health outcomes in young children. The purpose of this study was to determine whether household food insecurity is associated with adverse health outcomes in a sentinel population ages [greater than or equal] 36 mo. We conducted a multisite retrospective cohort study with cross-sectional surveys at urban medical centers in 5 states and Washington DC August 1998-December 2001. Caregivers of 11,539 children ages [greater than or equal to] 36 mo were interviewed at hospital clinics and emergency departments (ED) in central cities. Outcome measures included child's health status, hospitalization history, whether child was admitted to hospital on day of ED visit (for subsample interviewed in EDs), and a composite growth-risk variable. In this sample, 21.4% of households were food insecure (6.8% with hunger). In a logistic regression, after adjusting for confounders, food-insecure children had odds of 'fair or poor' health nearly twice as great [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.66-2.18], and odds of being hospitalized since birth almost a third larger (AOR - 1.31, 95% CI = 1.16-1.48) than food-secure children. A dose-response relation appeared between fair/poor health status and severity of food insecurity. Effect modification occurred between Food Stamps and food insecurity; Food Stamps attenuated (but did not eliminate) associations between food insecurity and fair/poor health. Food insecurity is associated with health problems for young, low-income children. Ensuring food security may reduce health problems, including the need for hospitalizations. J. Nutr. 134: 1432-1438, 2004. KEY WORDS: * food security * food insecurity * hunger * child health * children

This article presents information from a study of people receiving food assistance services from food pantries and soup kitchens in Virginia. The data indicate that significant numbers of individuals and families--many of whom are employed--are seeking food assistance. Many of these individuals also have been homeless, victims of domestic violence, unable to pay their utility bills, or have lost their public benefits. A critical issue raised by the findings is the low rate of participation in the food stamp program. Fewer than 40 percent of the respondents were receiving food stamps. Although the food stamp program is intended to help households buy a nutritionally adequate diet, there is growing concern that a large segment of low-income Americans are slipping through this safety net. The article concludes with suggestions for social work interventions to address issues of food security. Key words: food assistance; food security; food stamps; hunger; poverty, Reported increases in demand at local food pantries and soup kitchens and the proliferation of additional sites to meet that demand have raised the issue of the adequacy of the […]

Efforts to measure the incidence of hunger in America have been ongoing since the late 1960s, but researchers have been unable to arrive at a consensus on the magnitude of the problem. In part the issue has been establishing a definition of hunger that is meaningful in the American context of abundance. This has meant moving from an initial preoccupation with malnutrition to an understanding of hunger in terms of perceived food insufficiency and food insecurity, where the latter connotes the inability to rely on conventional means of food acquisition as well as the need to resort to various coping strategies. Surveys that measure food insufficiency and insecurity suggest that roughly 10 million Americans can be classified as hungry.

Leptin Levels and Successful Dieting If you're dieting and your leptin levels go down, you may get a lot hungrier. So say ARS researchers in Davis, California, who are studying [...]

In recent years, research has focused on why fat is so readily overconsumed. Although the palatability of many high fat foods can encourage overconsumption, another possibility is that fat is not very satiating. A number of studies have compared the effects of fat and carbohydrate on both satiation (the amount eaten in a meal) and satiety (the effect on subsequent intake), but have found little difference between these macronutrients when the palatability and energy density were similar. On the other hand, the energy density of foods has been demonstrated to have a robust and significant effect on both satiety and satiation, independently of palatability and macronutrient content. It is likely that the high energy density of many high fat foods facilitates the overconsumption of fat. An understanding of the role that the energy density of foods plays in the regulation of food intake should lead to better dietary management of hunger and satiety in conditions associated with both over- and underconsumption of energy, such as obesity and anorexia. J. Nutr. 130: 268S-271S, 2000. KEY WORDS: * energy density * fat intake * human food intake * hunger * satiety

Walk into any grocery store and you will see it for yourself: We are producing an unprecedented bounty of food. Having such an abundant food supply begs the question: Why [...]