Proposal submitted
Better Food Insecurity Data for Ohio
The Ohio Association of Foodbanks has proposed adding nine food security and food assistance questions to Ohio's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
Sign Up for UpdatesThank you. In just two weeks, organizations across Ohio stepped forward to support stronger food insecurity and food access data. Their response demonstrates broad public health interest in this opportunity.
The proposal
Add food insecurity and food access questions to Ohio BRFSS
BRFSS is a population-based health survey administered by the Ohio Department of Health in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It collects information about health status, chronic conditions, disability, healthcare access, health behaviors, and demographics.
The proposed module includes nine validated questions: the six-question USDA food security screener and three questions that measure use of SNAP, WIC, and SUN Bucks (Summer EBT). Together, the questions would help Ohio understand household experiences across a Food Stability Continuum. Feeding America has committed to fund the questions and analysis of the resulting data if the proposal is approved.
Why this matters
Better data help communities make better decisions.
- Understand who experiences food insecurity and barriers to food assistance.
- Examine connections among food stability, nutrition, health, disability, and healthcare access.
- Identify disparities, target resources, support funding requests, and measure progress.
- Supplement locally collected data with a reliable statewide comparison point that helps communities interpret local findings and prioritize social determinants of health.
What Ohio could learn
From documenting need to strengthening action
Measure the prevalence and severity of household food insecurity.
Understand participation in SNAP, WIC, and SUN Bucks.
Identify households experiencing food insecurity but not receiving available assistance.
Examine relationships among food stability, health status, chronic conditions, disability, and healthcare access.
Strengthen WIC outreach, Food Is Medicine, healthy pantry, and other nutrition access strategies.
Understand how food and nutrition programs work together to support children and families.
Stay informed
Follow the proposal's progress
The support period has ended and the proposal has been submitted. Join the email list for updates as it moves through the review process.
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