title: Women respondents report higher household food insecurity than do men in similar Canadian households.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated factors accounting for the consistently higher levels of household food insecurity reported by women in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey for the years 2005/2006 and 2007/2008 were pooled to examine the association between household food insecurity, measured using the Household Food Security Survey Module and other metrics, and respondent sex. We stratified households as married/cohabiting (in which case, the household respondent was chosen randomly) or non-married (single/widowed/separated/divorced) and adjusted for differences in household characteristics, including the presence of children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis was restricted to households dependent on employment/self-employment and whose reported annual household income was below $CAN 100,000. Exclusions included respondents less than 18 years of age, any welfare receipt, and missing food insecurity, marital status, income source and amount, or household composition data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For non-married households, increased food insecurity in female- v. male-led households was accounted for by significant differences in household socio-economic characteristics. In contrast, in married/cohabiting households with or without children, higher food insecurity rates were reported when the respondent was female and neither respondent characteristics nor socio-economic factors accounted for the differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher rates of food insecurity in non-married households in Canada are largely attributable to women's socio-economic disadvantage. In married households, women appear to report higher levels of food insecurity than men. These findings suggest a possible bias in the measurement of population-level household food insecurity in surveys that do not account for the sex of the respondent in married/cohabiting households.
authors: 1 Department of Economics, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
authors: Jesse
authors: J
authors: Matheson
authors: 2 Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Teaching Research & Wellness (TRW) Building, Room 3E14 (3rd Floor), 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada.
authors: Lynn
authors: L
authors: McIntyre
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
references: J Health Soc Behav. 2004 Jun;45(2):171-86
references: 15305758
references: J Nutr. 1990 Nov;120 Suppl 11(suppl_11):1544-8
references: 2243303
references: J Nutr. 1999 Feb;129(2S Suppl):506S-509S
references: 10064319
references: J Nutr. 2008 Mar;138(3):604-12
references: 18287374
references: Soc Sci Med. 2002 Jan;54(1):119-32
references: 11820676
references: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2013 May;48(5):795-803
references: 23064395
references: J Nutr. 2003 Jan;133(1):120-6
references: 12514278
references: J Nutr. 1997 May;127(5):699-705
references: 9164989
references: Health Rep. 2001 Aug;12(4):11-22
references: 15069808
references: Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Aug;37(4):766-74
references: 18499721
references: J Nutr. 2001 Oct;131(10):2670-6
references: 11584089
references: Can J Public Health. 2009 May-Jun;100(3):184-8
references: 19507719
references: Health Rep. 2005 May;16(3):47-51
references: 15971515
references: J Nutr. 1999 Feb;129(2S Suppl):517S-520S
references: 10064321
references: Soc Sci Med. 1996 Aug;43(4):543-53
references: 8844955
references: J Spec Pediatr Nurs. 2010 Apr;15(2):163-71
references: 20367787
references: CMAJ. 2003 Mar 18;168(6):686-91
references: 12642423