A new study from Boston University School of Social Work revealed overall rates of food insecurity in both veteran and nonveteran households are not significantly different, a finding that differs from prior research.
The study was led by Boston University School of Social Work professors Daniel P. Miller, PhD; Thomas Byrne, PhD; and Ellen DeVoe, PhD; and Brandeis University Heller School for Social Policy and Management professor Mary Jo Larson, PhD.
The team analyzed nationally representative data collected from the 2005 to 2013 U.S. Department of Agriculture Current Population Survey-Food Security Supplement
Highlighted below are three findings from the survey.
1. Overall, veteran households had lower rates of food insecurity than nonveteran households (8.4 percent versus 14.4 percent), which directly contradicts previous research that reported much higher rates of food insecurity among veterans.
2. After adjusting the rates for differences between veteran and nonveteran households, rates of food insecurity were actually almost identical (13.5 percent versus 13.3 percent).
3. Still, food insecurity rates differed based on the veteran population. Veterans who served from 1990 to 2001 or 1975 to 1990 had a significantly higher probability of food insecurity (14.8 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively), compared to nonveteran households. Those who served during the Vietnam War had a lower probability (12.5 percent).
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