Food insecurity, lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life, is associated with poor child health. Three pediatric clinics implemented a two- question food insecurity screening of 7,284 families with children younger than five years. Over one thousand (1,133, 15.6%) reported food insecurity and 630 (55.6%) were referred to a benefits […]
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways”. Food insecurity is prevalent in the U.S., affecting 12.7% of the population in 2016. The impact of food insecurity can be […]
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how 3 forms of housing instability relate to caregiver and child health among low-income renter households. METHODS: Caregivers of children 0 to 48 months of age were interviewed in 5 urban medical centers from May 2009 to December 2015. Caregivers reported on the following: caregiver health, maternal depressive symptoms, child’s health, lifetime […]
Adequate nutrition is essential to children’s rapidly developing brains and bodies. Lack of resources can lead to inadequate access to sufficient food (food insecurity). Fortunately, the United States has programs to provide children and families with nutritional support. Using simulation modeling, we identify three policies that ensure young children have reliable access to food. (i) […]
This AJPH editorial focuses on the importance of screening patients for food insecurity in clinical settings using the Hunger Vital Sign, and the evidence-based household-level interventions that can alleviate the condition. More specifically, we address the questions that have arisen regarding the necessity of asking both Hunger Vital Sign questions when one might suffice, whether […]
Introduction This study examined how mothers’ Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) relate to their children’s developmental risk and assessed how the association is mediated through mothers’ depressive symptoms and fair/poor health. Methods Mothers of children aged between 4 months and 4 years were recruited from the emergency department of a children’s hospital between March 2012 and […]
Objectives: To examine changes in maternal–child health surrounding the April 2015 civil unrest in Baltimore, Maryland, following Freddie Gray’s death while in police custody. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional Children’s HealthWatch surveys January 2014 through December 2015 in pediatric emergency departments and primary care clinics on maternal–child health and June 2015 through October 2015 on daily […]
ABSTRACT: Objective: Food Insecurity (FI) occurs in 21% of families with children and adolescents in the United States, but the potential developmental and behavioral implications of this prevalent social determinant of health have not been comprehensively elucidated. This systematic review aims to examine the association between FI and childhood developmental and behavioral outcomes in western […]
Exposure to childhood adversity, including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, is associated with negative long-term health and economic outcomes. Little is known about how adversity exposure in parents’ early lives may be related to later food insecurity for parents and their children. This study investigated the association between female caregivers’ adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and […]
This study assesses food insecurity in low-income households with young children with/without special health care needs (SHCN) and evaluates relationships between child Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receipt and food insecurity. Of the 6,724 children included in the study sample, 81.5% screened negative for SHCN, 14.8% positive for SHCN (no SSI), and 3.7% had SHCN and received SSI. After covariate […]