Food insecurity has been linked to myriad health problems in adults and children. Now, a new report puts a dollar figure on the annual cost of hunger in Massachusetts: $2.4 billion.

The estimate comes from a new report by the Greater Boston Food Bank and the Children’s HealthWatch, a nonpartisan network of pediatricians and researchers. Using evidence on hunger in peer-review journals and medical analyses, the report aims to tally costs of medical treatment, special education, and lost work associated with the problem.