Child support and food insecurity among custodial-mother families in Colombia

In this study I examine the food insecurity experiences of custodial-mother families in Colombia and the extent to which child support receipt helps prevent uncertain or limited access to adequate food. Using data from the 2008 Quality of Life Survey, which has detailed information to calculate the Latin American and Caribbean Scale to Measure Food Security, I found that more than half (57.3%) the custodial-mother families experienced some level of food insecurity in 2008. My multivariate analyses suggest that families receiving child support are less likely to experience inadequate consumption of food; a 10% increase in child support income is associated with a 9% decline in the chances of experiencing this hardship. This association is particularly concentrated among single-mother families and families headed by younger mothers. Overall, my results suggest that policies that increase child support receipt in less-developed countries like Colombia are likely to decrease food insecurity among custodial-mother families.