{"id":23786,"date":"2021-01-14T01:36:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T01:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=23786"},"modified":"2021-01-15T14:46:30","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T14:46:30","slug":"18-million-us-children-are-at-risk-of-hunger-how-is-the-problem-being-addressed-and-what-more-can-be-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/18-million-us-children-are-at-risk-of-hunger-how-is-the-problem-being-addressed-and-what-more-can-be-done\/","title":{"rendered":"18 million US children are at risk of hunger: How is the problem being addressed and what more can be done?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heather Eicher-Miller<\/a>, Purdue University<\/a><\/em>; David Himmelgreen<\/a>, University of South Florida<\/a><\/em>; Diana Cuy Castellanos<\/a>, University of Dayton<\/a><\/em>, and Kecia Johnson<\/a>, Mississippi State University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: The economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic has increased the number of Americans who can\u2019t always get enough to eat<\/a>, including children. The Conversation U.S. asked four experts to explain how common child hunger is and what\u2019s being done to address it.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. How big a problem is child hunger in the US?<\/h2>\n

Heather Eicher-Miller<\/a>, associate professor of nutrition science at Purdue University:<\/strong> Hunger has two very different meanings<\/a>. It can describe that uncomfortable feeling you get after not eating in a while. It\u2019s also a long-term physical state.<\/p>\n

\n\"Photo<\/a>
\nHeather Eicher-Miller.<\/span>
\nPurdue University<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

People who experience long-term hunger aren\u2019t just uncomfortable. They can feel weakness or pain and run an elevated risk of illnesses, including asthma<\/a>, iron-deficiency anemia<\/a> and poor bone health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hunger can of course arise when someone doesn\u2019t eat enough, but it\u2019s also a result of food insecurity<\/a> \u2013 what happens when you lack the money or other means of accessing enough of the right kinds or amounts of food.<\/p>\n

Whereas hunger is a physical condition, food insecurity is an economic and social situation. <\/p>\n

David Himmelgreen<\/a>, professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida:<\/strong> Food insecurity and child hunger have both skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were an estimated 50 million food-insecure Americans<\/a> by the end of 2020, up sharply from 35 million in 2019<\/a>, the last year for which official data is available.<\/p>\n

\n\"Photo<\/a>
\nDavid Himmelgreen.<\/span>
\nUniversity of South Florida<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Feeding America, the nation\u2019s largest anti-hunger organization, estimated in 2019 that there were 12.5 million U.S. children \u2013 1 in 6<\/a> \u2013 at risk of hunger. With growth in the number of American workers unemployed<\/a> and children living in poverty<\/a>, a team of researchers determined in July 2020 that 18 million children \u2013 1 in 4<\/a> \u2013 were experiencing food insecurity at least sometimes, a few months into the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

Kecia Johnson<\/a>, assistant professor of sociology at Mississippi State University:<\/strong> Children who experience hunger<\/a> are more likely to be sick, to recuperate from illness more slowly and to be hospitalized more frequently.<\/p>\n

\n\"Photo<\/a>
\nKecia Johnson.<\/span>
\nMississippi State University<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among other things, being food insecure increases the potential for obesity, heart disease and diabetes<\/a>, including for children<\/a>. And food-insecure children are at least twice as likely as other kids to have a variety of health problems<\/a>, such as anemia, asthma and anxiety.<\/p>\n

Food-insecure kids can also have more trouble at school<\/a> than other children and become more likely to experience social isolation. <\/p>\n

2. What\u2019s being done about the problem?<\/h2>\n

Diana Cuy Castellanos<\/a>, assistant professor of dietetics and nutrition at the University of Dayton:<\/strong> Some 15 federal programs<\/a> assist Americans who need help getting enough nutritious food to eat. The programs cover different populations including the elderly, people with low incomes, infants and children, and Native American communities, as well as areas where there is need for emergency relief due to disasters.<\/p>\n

\n\"Photo<\/a>
\nDiana Cuy Castellanos.<\/span>
\nUniversity of Dayton<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The largest is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program<\/a>, known more commonly as SNAP. It provides assistance for the purchase of food based on income and cost US$85.6 billion in the latest fiscal year. Following the passage of a bipartisan relief package in December, most families of four can currently get $782 in monthly assistance<\/a> through SNAP.<\/p>\n

Many people still call these benefits \u201cfood stamps,\u201d but now, instead of receiving vouchers to purchase food, people receive a card that looks like a credit card with their food allowance on it.<\/p>\n

The government also runs the Women, Infants and Children<\/a> program, which provides nutritional aid for low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women and women with at least one child age 5 or under. In addition, there are the School Breakfast and Lunch programs as well as the Summer Food Service Program<\/a>, which funds free healthy meals and snacks to children and teens in low-income areas when school is not in session.<\/p>\n

Many of these programs target specific segments of the population, such as children and the elderly. All have something in common: They are designed to help low-income families afford food so as to free up more of their limited income on other needs, such as housing and transportation.<\/p>\n