Toolkit helps pediatricians address food insecurity in families
The AAP and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) jointly released a new toolkit, “Addressing Food Insecurity: A Toolkit for Pediatricians,” a comprehensive resource on how to identify and address childhood food insecurity. This kit provides specific information on how to:
- screen patients for food insecurity,
- address the topic in a sensitive manner,
- make the appropriate interventions, most commonly by referring patients and their families to the federal nutrition programs, and
- advocate for greater food security and improved overall health of children and their families.
One in six children lives in a food-insecure household. Studies have shown that children in food-insecure households – those with limited or uncertain access to enough food – are more likely to become sick and be hospitalized more often than their peers. Developmental delays and behavioral problems also can result, as can obesity.