Date of Thesis

2016

Description

Using data from the 2011-2012 National Health Interview Survey, this research examines racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of food insecurity among children in the United States. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the impact of race/ethnicity, mother's immigration status, and a number of socioeconomic variables (including family structure, annual household income, mother's educational attainment, region of residence in the United States, and use of government food assistance) on the likelihood that a child under the age of 18 will experience food insecurity. Results indicate that non-Hispanic white children are less likely than Hispanic and non-Hispanic black children to experience food insecurity at any level. Immigration plays a role in this relationship, as children with mothers born in the United States are more likely to be food secure. These results are strongly affected by the various socioeconomic variables used in this study.

Keywords

food insecurity, children, race/ethnicity, immigration

Access Type

Honors Thesis (Bucknell Access Only)

Degree Type

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Sociology

First Advisor

T. Elizabeth Durden

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