Health Consequences of Food Insecurity in Children

Abstract

When thinking about food insecurity, inevitably third world countries and the “developing world” come to mind; however, food insecurity also exists in first world countries such as the United States. In 2008, more than 14% of all U.S. households, 49 million people, were food insecure. The purpose of this thesis paper was to state and understand the health consequences related to food insecurity in American households, specifically in children, and to analyze how the government aid is helping to reduce the risk of these health consequences. Obesity, iron deficiency anemia, diabetes management, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and cardio vascular disease were some of the health consequences of food insecurity. Government aid to fight food insecurity such as food stamps and Women, Infant and Children (WIC) were analyzed in order to prove their effectiveness. As an addition, future ideas to prevent or solve food insecurity are proposed.