Serving the country, struggling for food: The reality of military family food insecurity
Military families in the United States are becoming increasingly concerned about food insecurity, and many of them report using food pantries, food banks, and other charitable food distribution services. A new University of Georgia study published in Public Health Nutrition highlights this problem by showing that almost one in eight military families with children have used these services in the previous year.
In the spring of 2021, the study polled over 8,300 families whose active-duty members were in the Army or Air Force. It discovered that 13.2% of these families had to use food distribution services at least once in the previous year. The probability of requiring these resources increased by 35% for every extra dependent child in the household.
Army families were found to use food banks at a rate that was 131% higher than that of Air Force families. The discrepancy was observed in both rank and race, with Asian, Black, and multiracial families, as well as lower-ranking members, having a roughly 50% higher likelihood than White families of requesting food distribution services. As more than half of American households live paycheck to paycheck, study lead author and assistant professor Catherine O’Neal suggests that this trend within the military is representative of the country as a whole.
“If we look at the American population in general…it’s not really all that surprising that what we’re seeing with the military reflects the broader population,” said Catherine O’Neal, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
According to the study, there are probably more military families in need of food assistance than there are aid recipients. The stigma attached to food insecurity prevents many families from using available resources because they fear being seen as weak. O’Neal stresses how critical it is to lessen this stigma and make sure families are aware of and have access to local resources.
“Stigma is a common suspect for why people don’t utilize the resources available to military families,” said O’Neal. “There’s this idea that they will be perceived as somehow less than or not capable. Alleviating the stigma connected to using food resources and making sure people are connected to their communities and know what resources are available to them are key to helping solve this problem.”
Compared to single-earner households, dual-income families had a 27% lower likelihood of needing food bank services. However, maintaining two incomes can be difficult due to the erratic nature of military life and the frequent relocations. The inadequate housing allowance given to military families, which frequently falls short in more expensive housing markets, exacerbates the problem.
Numerous families are experiencing increased financial strain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and growing inflation. According to O’Neal, food insecurity affects military families as well and calls for a comprehensive strategy that takes into account all of the contributing factors.
“Military families are first and foremost families,” she said. “No one is immune to the potential of financial stress. Any efforts to address food insecurity will have to be a multi-pronged initiative that address the many contributing factors. As one part of that effort, military financial literacy efforts are underway to help military families understand how to maximize their pay and get the most out of their money.”
