The Food Stamp Program is America’s first line of defense against hunger and the foundation of our national nutrition safety network. Physicians and medical researchers also think it is one of America’s best medicines to prevent and treat childhood food insecurity. The report demonstrates the important protective effect of food stamps on child food insecurity and for citizen children of immigrants. Eligible children receiving food stamps are less likely to be food insecure than eligible children not receiving food stamps.
Food Stamps As Medicine: A New Perspective on Children’s HealthWatch
A decade of clinical research by C-SNAP shows that food stamps are an essential medicine for America’s youngest and most vulnerable children. Infants and toddlers in food insecure households are at increased risk for iron deficiency anemia, deficits in cognitive development, and behavioral and emotional problems, all of which can impede their readiness for school and their future productivity as adults in the workforce. Indeed, C-SNAP has recently found that children receiving food stamps are 26% less likely to be food insecure than eligible children not receiving food stamps, suggesting that they are less likely to suffer from the
negative effects of food insecurity. The connection is strong: food insecurity contributes to developmental problems and poor health among children, and food stamps decrease child food insecurity.
