National data sets useful in food and nutrition assistance research

ERS encourages research that makes appropriate use of existing, nationally representative data. Examples of relevant surveys include:

The following provides brief descriptions of the data. Several of these data sets contain items related to food security, which has a distinct section at the end of this page. For more information, see the associated web links.

Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)
The CES is an annual survey of household expenditures conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. The survey has three major objectives: (1) to provide information on consumer expenditures to support revisions to the Consumer Price Index market basket; (2) to provide a flexible set of data serving a wide variety of social and economic analyses; and (3) to provide a continuous body of detailed expenditure and income data for research purposes. The survey is comprised of two independent household components: a quarterly interview survey for broad expenditure categories and a weekly diary survey for small frequently purchased items, such as individual food items, gasoline, stamps, and other miscellaneous items. The data set includes information on age, race, sex, household size, income, geographic region, and Food Stamp Program participation. For more information, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics' CES website.

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) 1994-96, 1998
The CSFII 1994-96 was sponsored by the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The survey provides information on the diets of a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized individuals in 50 States, with oversampling of the low-income U.S. population. Data collected include food and nutrient intake for up to 2 days, where the food was obtained, nutrient and food group intake, race, sex, age, ethnicity, height and weight, household income and composition, food stamp and WIC program participation, education and employment status of individuals in the household 15 years of age and over, and diet and health knowledge of a sample of individuals 20 years and older who completed at least 1 day of intake. In 1998, dietary data were collected only on children from birth through 9 years of age using the same methods as in 1994-96 so that the data can be merged to increase the sample size for children. The data are useful for analyzing food consumption behavior and the nutrient content of diets and for assessing policy implications for food production, marketing, food safety, food assistance, and nutrition education. Similar CSFII surveys were also conducted in 1989-91 and 1985. For more information, see the Agricultural Research Service's CSFII website.

Current Population Survey (CPS)
The CPS is a large, nationally representative monthly survey that obtains information from approximately 50,000 households. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the survey on behalf of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other Federal agencies that support the survey. The main purpose of the CPS is to provide estimates of employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the general labor force. In addition to the labor force data, the March CPS Supplement provides detailed data on annual income and food assistance program participation; the income data are used to calculate State and national poverty estimates. Estimates of food security at the household level are developed using items on a CPS supplement that is sponsored by USDA. The food security supplement was introduced in April 1995. The supplement is fielded annually, although the month of administration varies from year to year. Information on the CPS and its supplements can be found on the Census Bureau's CPS website. Information on the CPS food security supplements can be found in the Economic Research Service's Food Security in the United States briefing room.

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K)
The ECLS-K is an ongoing longitudinal study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. The study follows a nationally representative sample of approximately 22,000 children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The children's parents, teachers, and schools are also participants in the study. The ECLS-K collects information on the children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development (i.e., height and weight); home environment and home educational practices; school environment, classroom environment, and classroom curriculum; participation in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Food Stamp Program; and household food security status. Information is collected in the fall and the spring of kindergarten (1998-99), the fall and spring of first grade (1999-2000), the spring of third grade (2002), and the spring of fifth grade (2004). For more information, see the National Center for Educational Statistics' ECLS website.

Food and Nutrition Service Program Operations Data
The Food and Nutrition Service Program Operations Data provide statistical information on aspects of all major Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) food and nutrition assistance programs. These programs include the Food Stamp Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Child Nutrition Programs (National School Lunch, School Breakfast, Child and Adult Care, Summer Food Service, and Special Milk); and Food Distribution Programs (Schools, Emergency Food Assistance, Indian Reservations, Commodity Supplemental, Nutrition for the Elderly, and Charitable Institutions). Four types of tables are provided: historical summaries, annual State-level data for selected elements, monthly national-level data for major programs, and State-level participation in major programs for the latest available month. The summaries begin with 1969, the year that FNS was established to administer USDA's food and nutrition assistance programs. FNS Program Operations Data are available on the Food and Nutrition Service website.

Food Stamp Program Quality Control Data File (FSPQC)
The FSPQC database contains detailed demographic, economic, and Food Stamp Program (FSP) eligibility information for a nationally representative sample of approximately 50,000 FSP units (an FSP "household" is known technically as a food stamp "unit"). The FSPQC data are generated from monthly quality control (QC) reviews of FSP cases that are conducted by State FSP agencies to assess the accuracy of eligibility determinations and benefit calculations for the State's FSP caseload. These data, which are produced annually, are ideal for tabulations of certain characteristics of food stamp units and for simulating the impact of various FSP policy changes on current FSP units. For more information, see Food Stamp Quality Control Data.

National Food Stamp Program Survey (NFSPS)
The NFSPS was conducted in 1996 by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The survey collected information on client satisfaction with services provided by food stamp offices and agencies, the monetary and nonmonetary costs of participating in the Food Stamp Program (FSP), food shopping behaviors, items related to food security, and nutrient availability for a nationally representative sample of Food Stamp Program participants and potential participants. In addition, information on dietary knowledge and attitudes and a 7-day household food use record was collected from a subsample of 1,000 of these households. Approximately 1,000 nonparticipants were contacted through random digit dial sampling to gather information on their experiences with the FSP and their reasons for nonparticipation. For more information, see one or more of the NFSPS reports (available in PDF format), including "Food Stamp Participants' Access to Food Retailers," "Customer Service in the Food Stamp Program," and "Food Stamp Participants' Food Security and Nutrient Availability." These reports and others are available on the Food and Nutrition Service website.

National Survey of America's Families (NSAF)
The NSAF, conducted by The Urban Institute, provides a comprehensive look at the well-being of adults and children. The survey provides quantitative quality-of-life measures and pays particular attention to low-income families. The survey is representative of the noninstitutionalized, civilian population of persons under age 65 in the Nation as a whole and in 13 States: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Together, these 13 States are home to more than half the Nation's population and represent a broad range of fiscal capacities, child well-being, and approaches to government programs. For more information, see the Urban Institute's NSAF website.

Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
The PSID, begun in 1968, is a longitudinal study of a representative sample of U.S. individuals and their families, including an oversampling of the low-income population. As families have grown and changed over time, the sample size has grown from 4,800 families in 1968 to 6,434 in 1999. A sample of 441 immigrant families was added in 1997. The PSID has collected information about more than 60,000 individuals spanning as much as 30 years of their lives. The central focus of the data is economic and demographic variables useful for research on dynamic processes. It contains substantial detail on income sources and amounts, employment, family composition changes, and residential location. Some waves of the study also included variables oriented more toward sociological or psychological research. The study is conducted at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan and has been supported over the years by funding from various government agencies, foundations, and other organizations. For more information, see the University of Michigan's PSID website.

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
The main objectives of the SIPP are to collect information on income by source, employment, program participation and eligibility, and general demographic characteristics. This information is used to measure the effectiveness of existing Federal and State programs; to estimate future costs and coverage for government programs, such as food stamps; and to improve statistics on the U.S. distribution of income in the country. The U.S. Census Bureau, which conducts the SIPP, uses a longitudinal, multistage-stratified design to survey the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States. The sample size ranges from approximately 14,000 to 36,700 interviewed households, with the duration of each panel ranging from 2½ to 4 years. Variables include labor force behavior; income; participation in public programs; basic demographic characteristics; living arrangements; food adequacy or abbreviated food security module; participation at the individual level in the Food Stamp Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and participation at the household level in the free, reduced-price, and full-price categories of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. For more information, see the Census Bureau's SIPP website.

Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD)
The SPD is a special extension of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) designed to look specifically at the effects of welfare reform. Congress mandated that the U.S. Census Bureau continue to collect data on the 1992 and 1993 panels of SIPP, as necessary, to obtain information on changes in participation in public assistance programs, employment, earnings, and measures of adult and child well-being. The data collected from the 1992 and 1993 SIPP panels provide 3 years of longitudinal baseline data prior to major welfare reform. The SPD's data include information on program eligibility, access, and participation; transfer income and in-kind benefits; food security; and detailed economic and demographic data on employment and job transitions, income, and family composition. The 3 years of SIPP data combined with the 7 years of SPD data will provide panel data for 10 years. For more information, see the Censu Bureau's SPD website.

Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)
NHANES III was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over the period 1988-94. The survey assesses the health and nutritional status of the population and monitors changes over time, especially in comparison with information from NHANES I and II, which were conducted in earlier periods. A major objective of the survey's nutrition component is to provide data for nutrition monitoring purposes, including tracking nutrition, identifying risk factors related to food insecurity, and estimating the prevalence of compromised nutritional status. A second major objective is to provide information for studying the relationships among diet, nutritional status, and health. A dietary 24-hour recall and a 1-month food frequency survey were used to obtain dietary data. The data set variables include gender, age, race, ethnicity, income, education, employment, health insurance coverage, marital status, and food assistance program participation. Outcome variables of interest include numerous nutritional and health indicators, such as food and nutrient intake, dietary practices, body measurements, hematological tests, including iron status, biochemical analyses of whole blood and serum (including lipid, lipoproteins, lead, and glucose tolerance), blood pressure, electrocardiograms, urine tests, bone densitometry, dental examinations, gallbladder ultrasonography, and cognitive and physical functioning. For more information, see the NHANES website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Food Security Data Information
ERS plays a leading role in Federal research on food security and hunger in U.S. households and communities. Food security for a household means access by all members at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum (1) the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (that is, without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies). USDA has developed a standardized survey module for assessing food security status. This module is included on a number of national surveys, the most prominent of which is the Current Population Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau. For more information on national surveys that include the USDA food security module, see the Economic Research Service's Food Security in the United States briefing room.

for more information, contact: Victor Oliveira
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page updated: April 29, 2004