FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM DIRECTORS IN ALABAMA’S BLACK BELT

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen

Public school students in Alabama’s Black Belt experience food insecurity at markedly higher rates than national peers. A recent mixed methods study found food insecurity levels at three times the national average, with very low food security reaching 11 times the national average. Recommendations from structured interviews with Child Nutrition Program directors across 14 counties support an intentional, coordinated, and multifaceted strategy for combating hunger in rural public schools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Food insecurity burden in the United States

Effects on adolescents

Review of Literature

Rural vulnerability and racial disparities

Measurement tools: HFSSM and CFSS

Defining the Black Belt region and context of poverty

Study Setup and Data Collection

CFSS administration in public schools

Overview of results tables

P-12 Research Studies FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM DIRECTORS IN ALABAMA’S BLACK BELT B. J. Kimbrough and Reenay Rogers, The University of West Alabama Brandon Renfroe, Geraldine (AL) Public Schools Abstract Public school students in the Black Belt of Alabama suffer from food insecurity disproportionately compared with national peers. Results of a recent mixed methods study indicated food insecurity levels that were three times the national average, with very low food security an alarming 11 times the national average. In the fight against hunger in our public schools, no professionals are more valuable than the Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) staff, headed by the local CNP director. The qualitative portion of the mixed methods study solicited input from CNP directors in 14 Black Belt counties in Alabama. The recommendations from structured interviews suggest an intentional, coordinated, and multifaceted approach to fight against food insecurity in our rural public schools. Keywords: food insecurity, rural, Black Belt Lead author’s note: The authors provide permission to publish this manuscript. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to [bkimbrough@uwa.edu](bkimbrough@uwa.edu) or (205) 652-3647. Introduction According to the most recent statistics published by the United States Department of Agriculture, over 38 million Americans, including over 6 million children, live in food insecure households (USDA, 2021) . These households lack consistent access to “adequate food for active, healthy living for all household members”(USDA, 2020, p. 5). Food insecurity is pervasive in the United States, with every county reporting its presence among a percentage of its population (Everett, 2019) . Food insecurity among young adults is particularly detrimental. Adolescents suffering from food insecurity are more likely to experience negative academic outcomes (Shanafelt et al., 2016), along with behavioral (Jackson & Vaughn, 2016), physical (Eicher-Miller et al., 2009), and mental health problems (Burke et al., 2016) . They are at higher risk of substance use (Baer et al., 2015), in greater danger of sexual exploitation (Dush, 2020), at greater risk of depression and suicidal ideation (McIntyre et al., 2013), and experience an overall higher rate of hospitalization compared to those from food secure homes (Banach, 2016) . It comes as little surprise, then, that the presence of food insecurity among youth has been categorized as “a marker of vulnerability”(Kirkpatrick et al., 2010) . Review of Literature Rural communities are more vulnerable to food insecurity than their urban and suburban counterparts (Haynes-Maslow et al., 2020). This is especially true in the rural South, where African American children are twice as likely to suffer from food insecurity as their Caucasian peers (Zekeri, 2010) . The racial disparity in food insecurity is also seen among all households on a national level, with 21.7 percent of African American households experiencing food insecurity during 2020, compared to the national average of 10.5 percent (USDA, 2021) . (See Table 1.) Table 1 Food Insecurity Comparison: National vs. African American Averages, 2020 | | National
Average | African American Average | | --- | --- | --- | | Food insecure | 10.5 | 21.7 | | Low food security | 6.6 | 13.7 | | Very low food security | 3.9 | 8.0 | Since 1995, food insecurity in the United States has been measured each December using the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) . This survey is designed to be completed by adults, even in households where children are present. This frequently leads to underreporting of food insecurity among children and adolescents, missing as many as 50% of children who report being hungry (Fram et al., 2015) . To better assess food insecurity among the adolescent population, in the early 2000s, the Children’s Food Security Scale (CFSS) was designe

FAQs

What did the mixed methods study find about food insecurity rates in Alabama’s Black Belt?

Food insecurity levels were three times the national average, and very low food security was 11 times the national average in the study’s results.

Why are food insecurity measures for children and adolescents sometimes underreported?

The Household Food Security Survey Module is completed by adults, which can lead to underreporting of children’s hunger and missed detection for up to about half of children who report being hungry.

How were recommendations developed for addressing food insecurity in rural public schools?

Structured interviews gathered input from Child Nutrition Program directors in 14 Black Belt counties, producing recommendations that emphasize coordinated, multifaceted action.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen