Hunger and Food Security - NTRI 4620

What is hunger?

Physiological; pain, discomfort, weakness, or illness caused by a long-term lack of food

___ households in US experience some type of hunger.

1/3, or 4 million homes

What is food insecurity?

Not having access to safe, adequate, and nutritious food at all times for an active, healthy life

What are the four levels of food security?

• High food security

• Marginal food security

• Low food security

• Very low food security

Describe high food security:

0-1 concerns reported; no problems or anxiety about consistently accessing adequate food

Describe marginal food security:

1-2 concerns reported; typically had problems at times or anxiety about accessing adequate food, but the quality/variety/quantity of intake was not substantially reduced

Describe low food security:

2-4 concerns reported; reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet, but little or no indication of reduced food intake

Describe very low food security:

5-6 concerns reported; at times during the year, eating patterns o at least one member were disrupted, eating reduced food intake due to lack of money and other resources

__ US households suffer from food insecurity.

1/7

In chronic cases, food insecurity can lead to __.

Hunger

Hunger is __.

PHYSIOLOGICAL

Which states have the highest rates of food insecurity?

Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, New Mexico, Arkansas

Describe food insecurity in Alabama.

Ranks #3 in US, 11% higher than national average, one of the poorest states int he nation, also #12 on worst drivers lol

Describe the five components of food security:

• Quantity - are they getting enough food?

• Quality - is the food nutritionally adequate?

• Suitability - is the food culturally appropriate and safe?

• Psychological - does the food meet their psychological needs?

• Social - is the food acquired in a socially acceptable method?

What are four key contributors to food security?

Availability, stability, access, removal of raw materials for industrial use

Availability:

Whether there food is at the store (low in rural areas because of distance, low in urban areas because of food swamps)

Stability:

Whether food is always reliably available (low in areas of drought, etc)

Access:

Whether you can get to the location of the food (transportation, money, store being open)

Describe the removal of raw materials for industrial use:

Small businesses and farms being taken over by larger corporations, cash crops being planted instead of food crop

Describe how the colonial era affected food security.

Colonization led to hunger and malnutrition of millions in developing countries whose resources were taken, many are still recovering

Three major factors affecting population growth:

Birth rates, death rates, standards of living

The growth of the world's population threatens __.

The capacity to produce adequate food

Describe the balance of the world population and food.

Families depend on children to cultivate land, secure food and water, and provide for the adults in their old age; but too many will threaten food security

What is the number 1 indicator of food security?

Poverty

Nine populations at higher risk of food insecurity:

The poor, the working poor, the young, ethnic minorities, older adults, inner-city or rural dwellers, certain Southern and Western states, many farmers, the homeless

Describe the poor population in the US.

40% of families with income below poverty threshold are food insecure; eligible for governmental support programs

Describe the working poor in the US:

1.7 million of the 75.9 million hourly workers are at or below minimum wage; minimum wage jobs do not lift a family out of poverty levels, single parent homes cannot pay for child care, have access to some supplemental programs

Describe food insecurity of the young in the US:

6 million children are food insecure

What are negative impacts of food insecurity in children?

Poor health, cognitive development, academic achievement, physical and emotional health

Describe food insecurity of ethnic populations in the US:

• Median income of Black and Hispanic households is ↓ than White households

• Poverty rate of Black (25.1%) and Hispanic (26.2%) individuals ↑ than White (14.5%)

• 21.2% black households and 16.2% Hispanic households experience food insecurity

Why are the elderly at high risk of food insecurity?

Lack of adequate supermarkets and adequate transportation

Describe food insecurity of Inner-City and Rural Dwellers:

Suburbanites are less likely to be food insecure; cities have food swamps, rural areas have food deserts

Why do farmers have a higher risk of food insecurity?

Lack control over the food they produce, price of the supplies, price they receive for their product

Describe the history of food support programs in the US:

Became a national priority after WWII (there was food insecurity before this tho)

Food support programs in the US:

• Food Stamp Program

• School Breakfast Program

• Free and Reduced Lunch

• Feeding Programs for Seniors

• WIC started

Nutrition security requires access to the following:

• Nutritious foods and potable drinking water

• Knowledge resources and skills for healthy living

• Prevention, treatment, and care for diseases affecting nutrition status

• Safety net systems during crisis situations (FEMA, red cross)

Describe the gap between developed and developing countries:

• Influenced by GDP

• Developing countries have a higher infant/toddler mortality rate, lower life expectancy, lower literacy rate, lower safe water percentage

Poverty ___ affects quality of life.

Negatively

Describe trends in the number and percentage of undernourished people in the world:

Had been steadily decreasing for the most part since 2000, but increased again during the pandemic

Today, nearly ___ people experience some form of malnutrition.

One in three

Stunting

The failure of children to grow to a normal height for their age due to severe and chronic malnutrition

Wasting

The tendency for children to be severely underweight for their age as a result of malnutrition

Malnutrition affects 1/3 of all people, but at the same time __ and __ rates are rising. Why?

Overweight and obesity; the foods available are unhealthy

In 2018, almost ___ children under age five suffered from stunting or wasting while at least ___ suffered from hidden hunger

200 million; 340 million

Protein-energy malnutrition:

A serious condition caused by inadequate intake of protein and energy; most widespread form of malnutrition in children

Example of PEM disease:

Kwashiorkor

Kwashiorkor:

Severe malnutrition caused by inadequate protein AND calories; symptoms are distended stomach, lethargy, poor growth, anemia

Marasmus:

Severe emaciation from ENERGY deficiency (no calories or energy intake); symptoms are no growth, near death starvation, no muscle or fat, wasting away

What are the four micronutrient deficiencies of worldwide concern?

Vitamin A, Iron, Iodine, Zinc

World's most common cause of preventable child blindness and vision impairment:

Vitamin A deficiency

Iron deficiency in infancy and early childhood is associated with __

Decreased cognitive abilities and resistance to disease

The major preventable cause of cognitive and intellectual disorders in children worldwide and impacts the thyroid gland

Iodine deficiency

Zinc deficiency contributes to __.

Growth failure and weakened immunity in young children

Four effects of malnutrition on those most vulnerable:

Inadequate weight gain during pregnancy, low birthweight, stunted children, higher infant and under-five mortality rate (U5MR)

Two types of economic burden of malnutrition and hunger:

Direct and indirect costs

Examples of direct costs of malnutrition and hunger:

Health-related expenses

Examples of indirect costs of malnutrition and hunger:

Lost productivity and income, stunted physical and mental development, reduced lifetime earnings, etc.

What are some cost effective interventions to reduce malnutrition?

Improved maternal nutrition, improved breastfeeding practices, micronutrient and deworming interventions, complementary and therapeutic feeding interventions

Food is __ but not __ to the poor who have land or money.

Available; accessible

Living standards have __ during the past two decades.

Declined

Chronic poverty often results in __.

Unsafe drinking water, insufficient food, etc

Poverty is much more than an ___ condition.

Economic

Food desert:

Limited access to fresh foods; in city: % of population that are > 1 mile away from a grocery store, in rural, % of population that are > 10 miles away from a grocery store (common in Alabama, especially south AL)

Food mirage:

The presence of high end grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods that include a full selection of products but that are not affordable to the individuals who live in the neighborhood

Food swamp:

A place where unhealthy foods are more readily available than healthy foods; high number of restaurants but few grocery stores, seen in low income inner city areas

14 consequenecs of food insecurity:

• Obesity

• Diabetes

• Dietary nutrient deficiencies

• Cavities

• Low fruit and vegetable intake

• Increased cancer risk

• Disordered eating

• Poorer academic performance

• School absences

• School suspensions

• Behavior problems

• Headaches

• Depression

• Inability to concentrate

Poverty threshold

The dollar amounts below which a family would be viewed as living in poverty, varies by size of household, same throughout US, updated annually

Poverty guidelines

Used to calculate poverty population statistics, determines eligibility for many food assistance programs

How to use USDA food plans?

Calculate price of everything you ate in a day, multiply to find weekly cost of food, compare to your age and sex group; is it a low, moderate, or high cost plan?

How to perform poverty calculation:

• Add up all incomes

• If total family income:

  • Is less than the poverty threshold for that family -> that family and everyone in it is considered to be in poverty

  • Equals or is greater than the poverty threshold -> the family is not considered to be in poverty

Example poverty calculation:

Family A has five members: two children, one mother, one father, and one great-aunt

• Step 1: Determine the family's poverty threshold for that year$31,275

• Step 2: Calculate the total family income for the same year

  • Child 1: $0

  • Child 2: $0

  • Mother: $11,000

  • Father: $11,000

  • Great-aunt: $10,000

Thus, Family A's total income for 2018 was $32,000.

• Step 3: Compare the family's total income with the poverty threshold

Note: The total family income divided by the poverty threshold is called the Ratio of Income to Poverty

• Income / Threshold = $32,000 / $31,275 = 1.02

Note: The difference in dollars between family income and the family's poverty threshold is called the Income Deficit (for families in poverty) or Income Surplus (for families above poverty)

• Income - Threshold = $32,000 - $31,275= $725

Ratio of Income to Poverty

The total family income divided by the poverty threshold (income/threshold)

Income Deficit (for families in poverty) or Income Surplus (for families above poverty)

The difference in dollars between family income and the family's poverty threshold (income - threshold)

Personal actions we can take to combat food insecurity in the US:

• Work with others who have similar interests

• Follow current hunger-related legislation

• Write and telephone local and national political representatives

• Encourage and give monetary support

How does personal lifestyle matter in ending food insecurity?

Wasting/eating in excess can decrease available food, so choose a diet at level of necessity

Ending hunger is a __.

Moral imperative