The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's Food Insecurity Questionnaire Completed by Children: Effects of Assessment Mode (Classroom versus Interview).

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's food insecurity questionnaire was administered to 155 children (77 African American, 65 White, 13 "Other" [7 Hispanic; 6 mixed races]) in grade 4 twice, 28-32 days apart. Test-retest reliabilities were modest and somewhat similar for assessment mode (classroom, interview) and subgroup variables (gender, race, socioeconomic status, academic achievement, body mass index percentile, social desirability). As academic achievement increased, White and Other children reported less food insecurity, and African-American children reported slightly less. As social desirability increased, White and African-American children reported slightly more food insecurity, and Other children reported substantially more. Although the questionnaire may be acceptable for use with diverse groups of children in grade 4, validation is needed.