Hunger Experience

Outcome

Impact

% of targeted households whose members had to go to sleep at night hungry in the past 4 weeks because there was not enough food

The indicator measures the proportion of households whose members went to sleep at night hungry in the past four weeks. The survey question used for this indicator was taken from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) survey methodology to provide a simplified – though significantly less comprehensive – way of measuring food insecurity.

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of the target group members:

 

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTION (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: In the past four weeks, did you or any other household member go to sleep at night hungry because there was not enough food and you did not have the money to buy it?

A1: yes / no / does not remember

 

(the following question is recommended but not mandatory)

 

Q2: When did you last go to sleep at night hungry because there was not enough food and you did not have the money to buy it?

A2: 

1) ....... [specify: days / weeks] ago 

2) does not remember 

 

To calculate the indicator’s value, divide the number of respondents who (or whose household members) went to sleep at night hungry in the past four weeks by the total number of respondents (exclude those who did not remember). Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by gender of the head of household, geographical area, wealth and other relevant criteria.

1) The data required for this indicator is prone to significant seasonal variations. Do your best to collect baseline and endline data in the same period of a year (e.g. two months before the expected harvest); otherwise, it is very likely that they will not be comparable.

 

2) This indicator originates from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and the Household Hunger Scale (HHS) indicators. It can be used on its own to provide a quick picture of hunger experience but does not replace the full HHS module, which captures frequency and severity. Use this simplified version for project-level monitoring or rapid assessments, and, if your resources allow, apply the full HHS when comparability or detailed food insecurity analysis is required.

3) When asking about frequency, it is recommended to use the phrase "When did you last ... ?" as opposed to the question "How often did you ... ?". While it is possible that, for example, a person went to sleep hungry yesterday but otherwise this happens only once per month, in the total sample of your respondents, such 'accidental' facts cancel each other out and you gain more reliable frequency data than you would get if you had asked "How often ...?".