HOUSEHOLD HUNGER SCALE (HHS)

Sentinel Site Training- Kabul, AfghanistanMay 20 -22 2012 Aida Ndiaye

Tools and Methodology

OVERVIEW

Household Hunger Scale(HHS)

HHS Tool

HHS Methods

HHS Scoring

HHS Categories

Exercises

HOUSEHOLD HUNGER SCALE

measure of household food access captures insufficient food quantity, which includes

food supply and intake and physical consequences

index built around 3 questions representing varying degrees of food hunger experienced in a household by the number of times households have experienced hunger within the last 30 days- (perception)

unique compared to other food insecurity indicators in that it has been developed and validated for cross-cultural use 

comparable, thus facilitates decision making

HHS TOOL

questionnaire used to collect information on food consumption at the household level

3 questions from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) questionnaire items which showed internal validity for all data sets.

• questions inquire about: not having food to eat of any kind in the house because

of lack of resources to get food; going to sleep at night hungry because there was not

enough food; going a whole day and night without eating anything at

all because there was not enough food.

HHS METHODS

4 weeks/1month recall careful linguistic adaptation required for choosing the

most appropriate term to describe this exact time period.

Question Frequency Code

Q1

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] was there ever no food to eat of any kind in your house because of lack of resources to get food?

0=Never1 = Rarely /Sometimes (1-10 times)2 = Often (more than 10 times)

|___|

Q2

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did you or any household member go to sleep at night hungry because there was not enough food? |___|

Q3

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did  you or any household member go a whole day and night without eating anything at all because there was not enough food?

|___|

HHS SCORING

four frequencies-of-occurrence options for scoring the HHS (with corresponding values) Never =0 Rarely/sometimes =1 often =2

HHS = response1+ response2 + response3: score ranges from 0 to 6 score is basis for categorizing households with

respect to household hunger

HHS score between Household Hunger Categories

0-1 Little to no hunger in the household

2-3 Moderate hunger in the household

4-6 Severe hunger in the household

HHS CATEGORIES

to tabulate the categorical HHS indicator, two different cut-off values (>1 and >3)

EXERCISES

In household A, you have obtained the following scores on the HHS

In what category of the hunger scale is household A?

Question Frequency Code

Q1

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] was there ever no food to eat of any kind in your house because of lack of resources to get food?

0=Never1 = Rarely /Sometimes (1-10 times)2 = Often (more than 10 times)

1

Q2

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did you or any household member go to sleep at night hungry because there was not enough food? 2

Q3

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did  you or any household member go a whole day and night without eating anything at all because there was not enough food?

0

EXERCISES

In household B, you have obtained the following scores on the HHS

In what category of the hunger scale is household B?

Question Frequency Code

Q1

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] was there ever no food to eat of any kind in your house because of lack of resources to get food?

0=Never1 = Rarely /Sometimes (1-10 times)2 = Often (more than 10 times)

1

Q2

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did you or any household member go to sleep at night hungry because there was not enough food? 0

Q3

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did  you or any household member go a whole day and night without eating anything at all because there was not enough food?

0

EXERCISES

In household C, you have obtained the following scores on the HHS

In what category of the hunger scale is household C?

Question Frequency Code

Q1

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] was there ever no food to eat of any kind in your house because of lack of resources to get food?

0=Never1 = Rarely /Sometimes (1-10 times)2 = Often (more than 10 times)

2

Q2

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did you or any household member go to sleep at night hungry because there was not enough food? 2

Q3

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did  you or any household member go a whole day and night without eating anything at all because there was not enough food?

1

EXERCISES

In household D, you have obtained the following scores on the HHS

In what category of the hunger scale is household D?

Question Frequency Code

Q1

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] was there ever no food to eat of any kind in your house because of lack of resources to get food?

0=Never1 = Rarely /Sometimes (1-10 times)2 = Often (more than 10 times)

2

Q2

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did you or any household member go to sleep at night hungry because there was not enough food? 2

Q3

In the past [4 weeks/30 days] did  you or any household member go a whole day and night without eating anything at all because there was not enough food?

0

ANSWERS

Household A: HHS Category=2 -Moderate hunger in the household

Household B: HHS Category=1 -Little to no hunger in the household

Household C: HHS Category=3 -Severe hunger in the household

Household D: HHS Category=3 -Severe hunger in the household