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National and subnational surveys can gather useful details about who the undernourished and vulnerable are, where they live, and what factors are contributing to their condition. The United States of America was one of the first developed countries to conduct such a survey.
The United States Government attached a Food Security Supplement to the Current Population Survey that it carries out annually. The Supplement asked questions such as: "In the last 12 months did you or other adults in your household ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn't enough money for food?" The results showed that 4.2 million American households suffered from some hunger for at least part of the year. Households suffering from severe hunger where children were involved or adults were more seriously affected numbered around 800 000. Because the survey focused on households rather than individuals, it did not yield an estimate of the number of undernourished people in the United States. But it did help identify the following vulnerable groups:
- the homeless;
- poor children;
- some female-headed households, African-American and Hispanic households, and those living in central city areas;
- the working poor;
- some legal immigrants subject to eligibility restrictions on assistance;
- some single-person households, e.g. able-bodied adults without dependants who may lose eligibility for benefits;
- some elderly and HIV-infected individuals;
- some residents in rural areas and communities;
- American Indians, Alaska Natives and others who live in remote areas; and
- migrant and seasonal farm workers.
Progress and setbacks in developing
countries
Counting and locating hungry
people
Undernourishment
in developed
countries
