Food Insecurity Is Harmful For A Healthy Life

What may be hard to see is that hunger is everywhere. Yes, hunger is in Africa and third-world countries, but also in the United States. Childhood hunger is nearly a bigger issue than overall hunger in the United States. Studies show that hunger among children has a higher percentage than hunger as a whole (Feeding America 28). It is found that children suffer from food insecurity in every county in the United States (Feeding America 30). It is easy to sit back and think that everyone has the financial and physical means to find food, but they do not. Over thirty percent of all children (under the age of eighteen) in New Mexico live in food insecure households; this state has the highest percent in the entire United States (Feeding America

Another cause for child hunger is unemployment. Many parents have lost their jobs due to the recession. Just like people that live in poverty, they don't have enough money to pay housing bills and are lacking food. In some cases, the decision has to be made between electricity or eating. This causes parents to fight about money problems and this effect kids because they start to worry. ("Hungry Kids")

The United States faces many social problems. One of these problems is child hunger. It has sociological origins and challenges for government and citizens alike.

It was difficult to read that countless millions of federal dollars and many of our country's most successful efforts to halt the spread of childhood hunger and starvation have recently been withdrawn. And as a result, this problem of childhood hunger is not getting better but is actually getting worse. The most recent estimates compiled by the USDA in 1999 indicate that 36.2 million Americans live in food-insecure households, which means that their access to adequate and safe food is limited or uncertain. This too is very disturbing information.

In the chapter Body and Mind, Shipler talks about food. "Food is one of the few flexible parts of a tight budget."(Shipler, 201) Other bills can not be changed, rent, utilities, phone bill can not be negotiated, and the amount is due on the due date, period. Food on the other hand can be nipped to fit what money is left over after the concrete bills are paid. "The result is an array of malnourished children in America."(Shipler, 201) When the children are hungry they can not concentrate at school, develop properly or fight off illness. This pushes these children farther and father away from hope of climbing out of poverty. If they can not concentrate and do well in school, they will perhaps not graduate, not get into college, and not get a good job. If they can not develop and fight off illness, they could be doomed to either a sickly life or a very short one. The parents are unable to get proper medical attention and even if they are able if the nutritional situation doesn't change, the medical treatment is almost pointless because the child can't survive with the constant lack of basic needs. Many children suffer from a condition know as "failure to

Children living in poverty are greatly affected by the many damaging disadvantages that come with growing up poor. Most children for the low-income families are not fed on a daily basis and therefore experience hunger

So, why do fifteen million children in America face hunger every day? How does this happen? Many people are on food stamps, and they can be extremely helpful, but it is difficult to feed family with them. Food stamps provide only a dollar per person for each meal, according to the organization, Food is Power. More often than not, unhealthy, processed foods are a lot less expensive than nutritious, organic food, and because of this issue, many people on food stamps reach for less expensive junk food. Unquestionably, healthy foods can be very hard to find and expensive in places like food deserts. Food is Power found that thirty-three percent of Americans live in food deserts. Of course, public transportation helps families reach grocery stores, but it still can be a lengthy trip, and in rural and suburban areas, there can be little or no public transportation at all. These issues make it a struggle for parents to provide healthy food for their

Hunger is considered huge issue in the United States. When it comes to managing food sources, it is easy to get predications from children based on their immediate experiences of food rather than parental reports that rely mostly on the economic value such as mother, households etc.… because such predications for instance, cannot be more accurate as children express their felling just in daily basis. In the published article at San Diego State University on February 20.2017, "Children Are Aware of Food Insecurity and Take Responsibility for Managing Food Resources’’. Farm et al made extensive research about this important topic, and wrote surveys addressing their reports after the information they collected from the

Food insecurity is defined as “the lack of access to enough food to ensure adequate nutrition.”1 The Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) reported that 14.6% of US households were food insecure during at least some portion of 2008 (up 11.1% from 2007), the highest levels recorded since monitoring began in 1995.2 Food insecurity is a concern of under consumption and obesity is a disease of over consumption, yet both outcomes may coexist, seemingly incongruously, within the same household.2 The most popular explanation is that low-cost, energy-dense foods linked to obesity are favored by financially constrained households, who are the most likely to be food insecure.2 Another theory, focusing on environmental context net of individual circumstance, argues that obesity and insecurity are both symptoms of malnutrition, occurring in neighborhoods where nutritious foods are unavailable or unaffordable.2 A separate literature researches environmental roles in poor nutritional outcomes, recent studies link obesity as well as atherosclerosis and diabetes to the food environment, the local context of available food items.2 The theory is that local inaccessibility to healthy foods influences diet composition, a claim supported by evidence.2 Especially in poorer neighborhoods, food options are often limited to fast food restaurants, convenience stores, or grocery stores more poorly stocked both in

Children in need of these nutrients can suffer from stunted growth never reaching potential height. Statistics have shown stunted growth children score significantly lower on intelligence tests than do normal children. Hunger interferes with physical, emotional and academic development. According to Freedom from Hunger, “more than 4 million children will die due to hunger related causes.” NASW(2016) shows an important connection food security and nutrition play in physical and mental health.

Another cause for child hunger is unemployment. Many parents have lost their jobs due to the recession. Just like people that live in poverty, parents don't have enough money for bills and food costs. In some cases, there is a choice that has to be made between paying bills and buying food. This causes parents to fight about money problems and this effect kids because they feel stressed ("Hungry Kids").

Most people are fortunate enough to have three, healthful meals every day. Although, this is not typical for everyone in America. 1 in 6 people in America battle hunger every day. A majority of these people have children to care for. Children who struggle with hunger are more likely to have academic or behavioral problems. Typically, parents with children often encounter some form of unemployment at some point. Sadly, because of these exasperating issues up to 5,000 people starve to death each year.

Why is child hunger really bad for children? In senegal it is a big problem Because most women don’t have jobs to help their family. Globally 161 million under five year olds were estimated to be stunted in 2013. Senegal is suffering from child hunger. In order to help stop it we want women to have jobs to help their family.

A good nutrition in the first three years of a child life is very significant and it creates a strong foundation that has associations for a child’s future physical and mental well-being, academic achievement, and economic productivity. So what happens to children’s those grow up hungry or grow up in food-insecure families? According to feedingamerica.org, Children growing up in food-insecure families are exposed to poor health and underdeveloped from the earliest stages of life. Children who grow up hungry are more likely to require hospitalization. Children who are food insecure are facing many health conditions or they may be at higher risk for chronic health conditions, such as anemia or asthma. These children will have poorer physical

Food Insecurity is defined as access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life, and at a minimum includes the following: the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods and the assured ability to acquire personally acceptable foods in a socially acceptable way, qualified by their involuntariness and periodicity. Even though food insecurity affects everyone in the household, it may also affect them differently. Food insecurity mostly exists whenever food security is limited. Uncertain or limited availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods results chronic diseases psychological, and suicidal syndrome (Cook & Frank, 2008)