Nutrition and Poverty in the United States HDF 434 Children and Families in Poverty

Thought Questions Why are the poor going hungry in the US? Why are the poor more likely to be overweight? Who should be responsible for ending hunger – individuals, the US government, faith-based and community programs?

Definitions food for an active, healthy life. Food security: Access to enough food for an active, healthy life. nutritionally adequate and safe foods can acquire such foods in socially acceptable ways. Food insecurity: Limited/uncertain access Stress/anxiety due to uncertainty about food Use compromising behaviors to obtain food Hunger: People are not counted as "hungry" for these statistics if they were hungry only because they were dieting to lose weight, fasting for religious reasons, or were just too busy to eat. Food insecurity and hunger statistics reflect hardships as a result of not being able to afford enough food

Definitions - Continued Food insecurity with hunger: Uneasy or painful sensation caused by a lack of food. A potential, although not necessary, consequence of food insecurity. Are you experiencing hunger? See food; secrete dopamine; seek quick fix Has been changed to very low food insecurity

Hunger and food insecurity in the U.S. (2012) 14.5% of American households were food insecure 2012 One of the highest level on record 5.7% had very low food security (hunger) Source: Economic Research Service, USDA, Household Food Security in the United States, 2012. 12.1 million U.S. households (11.1% of all households) were food insecure at some time during the year 3.8 million of these households (3.5% of all households) were food insecure to the extent that one or more household members were hungry at least some time during the year. Households with children reported food insecurity at more than double the rate for households without kids (16.5% vs. 8%).

Recent change in Food Insecurity Rhode Island Change across US

Food insecurity across the US

Poverty and poor diets Why are the poor overweight? Shopping and diets vs. access to healthy foods? Example from California WIC program Grocery stores and nutrition Role of government subsidies?

Children’s diets are disrupted by food insecurity Among food-insecure households with children: 81% relied on only a few kinds of low-cost food to feed their children because they were running out of money to buy food; 19% reported that this occurred often. 52% could not afford to feed their children balanced meals. 25% reported that their kids were not eating enough because the family could not afford enough food. Source: M Nord, Food Insecurity in Households With Children, USDA, 2003.

Research regarding effects of hunger/food insecurity What happens when people are hungry? Negative impacts on health For adults For children? Negative impacts on cognitive processing Connection to school success? Associated with depression/anxiety among poor women Effects on parenting, cognition, health?

Student Led Discussion – Individual efforts to get enough food? Hoisington, A., Schultz, J., & Butkus, S. (2002). Coping strategies and nutrition education needs among food pantry users. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 34 (6), 326-333.

Whose role? Non-profits and religious groups ? Soup kitchens and food pantries Are they enough? Who uses them? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxj1n5xHXdw

What can/should the government do? SNAP benefits March 2012 - U.S. House passed bill to drastically cut SNAP 09 – 32 million of food stamps 12 – 48 million (50% increase)

Ability to Access and use SNAP? Access to SNAP Length, difficulty, reading level Need to recertify every 6 months Visual of SNAP application Ability to use SNAP benefits (fraud) For homeless, elderly, disabled Video – Cost of hunger

What can/should government do? Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 Provides 4.5 billion in new funding to child nutrition programs Increases eligibility for children in school meals programs Gave USDA authority to set nutritional standards and rewards schools that comply Tomato sauce used in pizza as a “vegetable”

What can/should we do? Fight against cuts to SNAP Support increases to federal food program back to 1970s level School breakfast School lunch WIC Change rules about benefits for SNAP/subsidized day care