Determinants of Food Resource Utilization among Low-Income Households in North Alabama, USA

The objective of this study is to examine the food security status of selected low-income households in north Alabama and to assess the factors believed to influence their participation in public-funded and private/community-based food assistance programs. The analysis draws on primary data from food security and a socio-economic survey administered to 700 low-income households. The main tools of analysis include descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. The descriptive results show that roughly 21 percent of the low-income families, who completed the questionnaire, are characterized as being food insecure; while the participation rate in food assistance programs is estimated at 21 percent. The factors that predict households’ participation in food assistance programs, based on the logit model results, include gender of household head, education, household size, income, and ethnicity. The results can assist local leaders in designing appropriate strategies to reduce food insecurity among low-income households in North Alabama