More than 8,325 families with an active duty service member in the United States Army or Air Force were surveyed in the spring of 2021. Of those, 13.2% reported having to use food distribution resources at least once in the past 12 months. The odds of using a food pantry increased by 35% for each dependent child in the family.
The study found Army families were 131% more likely to use a food bank than Air Force families. Lower-ranking servicemembers were more likely to use food distribution resources than higher-ranking individuals. And Asian, Black and multiracial families were about 50% more likely to use food distribution services than white families.
“If we look at the American population in general, about half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck,” said Catherine O’Neal, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “So it’s not really all that surprising that what we’re seeing with the military reflects the broader population.”
More families may need food assistance than are getting it
Previous research has shown one in four military families experience some level of food insecurity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as lacking access to enough food for each person in a household to live a healthy life.
The present study highlights a disconnect between the likely number of people who need help feeding their families and those actually receiving much-needed assistance.
“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…
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