An examination of gender differences in the relationship between reporting a food hardship and physical health

Despite the wealth present in American society, high rates of food insecurity, food insufficiency, and hunger are a significant problem in the United States. The persistently high reports of food security are troubling given that experiencing food hardships is not a social problem with isolated consequences. A lack of an adequate food supply can potentially affect mental well-being and overall quality of life, as well as physical health outcomes. However, an important challenge facing research on nutrition and health is to distinguish the consequences of food hardship from those of its common risk factors, such as poverty and low socioeconomic status. This paper used data from the National Survey of America’s Families to model the effect of reports of food hardships on the presence of chronic health conditions and to examine if gender differences exist in this relationship. Using instrumental variable linear probability models to adjust for endogeneity between food hardship and health, I find that reporting food hardship increases the risk of having a chronic health condition for both men and women. However, men who report a food hardship face a much higher risk of chronic health conditions than do women who report hardships.