American Babies Health Hurt by Hunger New Report Shows

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 01 Jun 2004 - 6:00 PDT

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American babies and toddlers being raised in food insecure homes are more likely to suffer poor health, including illness severe enough to require hospitalizations, according to a new study published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Food insecurity is defined as limited or uncertain access to enough nutritious food. Measured in the study by United States Household Food Security Scale standards, it is an important indicator of a household's health and well-being.

Researchers compared children ages three years and younger living in food insecure households to children living in food secure homes. Those exposed to food insecurity had approximately 30% greater odds of hospitalization and 90% greater odds of being characterized in fair/poor health.

"Just 60% of eligible children receive food stamp benefits," said Carol Berkowitz, MD, co-investigator of the study and pediatrician at the Research and Education Institute (REI) at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "Given that 17% of American households with children are food insecure, the national implications of these findings are staggering. The failure of nutrition safety-net programs to reach all children in need may be contributing to growing national healthcare costs."

Contact Carol Berkowitz at 310-222-3091 or carolb@pol.net

Contact: David Feuerherd
df@issuesmangement.com
310-215-0234
Harbor-UCLA Research and Education Institute (REI)