Eating When There is Not Enough to Eat: Eating Behaviors and Perceptions of Food Among Food-Insecure Youths

Food insecurity, or not having access to enough food for an active, healthy life because of a lack of resources, is a continuing problem in the United States.1 The US Department of Agricul-ture monitors the extent and severity of food insecurity in US households through the food security section of the annual, nationally repre-sentative Current Population Survey. According to this survey, in 2006, 10.9 % of households experienced food insecurity at some point during the year.1 Households with children tended to be more affected by food insecurity and were nearly twice as likely to report food insecurity during at least part of the past year as were households with no children under the age of 18 year