Study says it's so, but are Oregonians really hungry?

Byline: The Register-Guard

Questions and doubts have been raised about the seriousness of Oregon's hunger problem ever since it was first reported a few years ago that the state had the highest hunger rate in the nation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and a separate group at Oregon State University are checking the survey results, but haven't finished their studies.

Here are some common questions asked about the survey and about hunger in general. The answers were provided by researchers and advocates:

Question: Are there really people in Oregon suffering from hunger? Isn't hunger more of a Third World problem?

Answer: "The people who work on the front lines of hunger relief here seldom see bloated bellies and sunken eyes. But they do see hunger: children who eat three plates of food because they have not eaten a full meal in days; seniors and single adults who do not come for a meal or food box until they are desperate because they want the food to go to families with children.

"The adverse effects of hunger in the U.S. include impaired brain development, low test scores and disruptive behavior in children, with less job readiness and earnings in adults."

- Patti Whitney-Wise, director of the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, a group working to eliminate hunger and food insecurity 

Question: Who says Oregon has the highest hunger rate in the nation?

Answer: "Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a survey on hunger in all 50 states. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture then analyze the data and release an annual national report on hunger. In 1999 and 2002, the USDA included the hunger rates of each state. Both times, Oregon's hunger rate was the highest in the nation, although error ranges typical of all survey data mean that we cannot be sure whether Oregon was No. 1 or just among the high hunger states.

"The survey data has been analyzed by some of the nation's most respected nutrition researchers, and found to be both accurate and useful."

- Michael Leachman, research analyst with the Oregon Center for Public Policy, a Silverton think tank that tracks poverty

Question: Didn't Oregon do its own hunger study and come up with a much lower hunger rate?

Answer: "In 2000, the state asked some hunger questions on a survey called the Oregon Population Survey and the findings suggested a lower rate. That survey proved unreliable because it was conducted by phone, ignoring those so financially stressed that they lacked a working phone. As a result, the survey missed many households where hunger is a problem. Other problems - the way questions were asked and how the data were collected - also marred the study. Another state survey in 2001 by the Department of Human Services corrected many of those problems and found a hunger rate in line with the national findings."

- Michael Leachman

Question: Washington, D.C., has a poverty rate of 20 percent, much more than Oregon's poverty rate of 12 percent. Yet, its hunger rate is about half of Oregon's. How can that be?

Answer: "There's been no thorough study of this question, so any answer needs to be tentative. It is clear, though, that the total amount of annual income your household has is only one factor determining whether you will go hungry.

"For instance, when people in isolated rural areas lose their job, get sick or run into some other financial difficulty, they may have fewer options. In rural Oregon, high unemployment and seasonal work leave many people out of work in the winter and more likely to be food insecure than Oregonians in urban areas. In D.C., there are obviously no rural areas and people who run into hard times there are less isolated.

"Another important factor is whether you have family, friends, church groups or public assistance you can turn to for help when you hit financial hard times.

"Oregon's population grew by 20 percent over the 1990s, with people moving to the state who lacked deep roots here. The population of D.C. actually declined by 6 percent over the same period. It may be that people there have built stronger social networks, and are more connected to the services available in their neighborhoods."

- Michael Leachman

Question: Isn't most hunger the result of bad choices - such as drug and alcohol abuse, or spending on such things as cable TV, cigarettes and cell phones instead of food?

Answer: "Hunger is an income issue. Most people living in poverty work full time. When you do the math of a low-income budget, it is easy to see why so many families do not have adequate income to afford food. Rent, child care, utilities, car payments, car insurance and health care consume the bulk of a low-income budget.

"This stress of not having enough to meet basic needs can sometimes result in poor choices to 'get away from it all' at the very time that drug and alcohol recovery programs are being cut. While not condoning these choices, it is important to remember that all segments of society sometimes make these bad choices."

- Patti Whitney-Wise

Question: I've seen obese people getting free food. How can they be considered hungry?

Answer: "It is ironic but true that obese people can indeed be hungry. This is because the quality of the food they eat may be poor and packed with heavy calories.

"There are many reasons for this, including the fact that charity food, while extremely helpful to a hungry person, is often not the most nutritious. Poor people can't afford to buy fresh fruits and vegetables."

- Karen Seccombe, director of public health studies at Portland State University and author of a book on perceptions of welfare recipients, "So You Think I Drive a Cadillac?"

Question: Don't people just need to learn to budget their money better and learn to prepare nutritionally balanced meals?

Answer: "Food stamp allocations are based on an emergency use budget from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It amounts to about $4 a day per person, depending on family size. It is very difficult to put together nutritious meals for an entire day on $4.

"When I lived in Florida, a number of legislators voluntarily did an experiment where they actually lived on a food stamp budget for a month. Afterward, they acknowledged how difficult it was. Several said that it was virtually impossible."

- Karen Seccombe

Question: The federal government, food banks and churches already do a good job of feeding the hungry. Why should we worry about it?

Answer: "Historically, the United States has recognized the value in providing food for its citizens with programs like school lunches and food stamps. However, these programs were cut significantly in 1981 and again in 1996, contributing to the new surge in hunger in this country today. Charities exist to fill gaps - not solve problems such as the lack of affordable housing, health care and living wage jobs.

"We are responsible as a nation and state to help people meet their basic needs so that all of us can flourish together. Anything less impacts us all."

- Patti Whitney-Wise

For more information about the hunger survey and hunger research in general, visit the USDA's briefing room at www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/FoodSecurity.