{"id":8913,"date":"2021-11-05T11:32:29","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T15:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acsmsoftware.com\/afitesttest\/?p=8913"},"modified":"2021-11-05T11:32:29","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T15:32:29","slug":"food-insecurity-defining-addressing-community-health-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acsmsoftware.com\/afitesttest\/food-insecurity-defining-addressing-community-health-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Insecurity: Defining and Addressing a Community Health Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0\u201ca household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Generally, this indicator refers to households who don\u2019t have enough food, particularly healthy food, to eat due to a lack of money and other resources. There are slight variations in how different organizations define food insecurity, but all relate to households who lack healthy food.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How big is the problem?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

During the\u00a0 COVID-19 pandemic, a spotlight was focused on food insecurity as many individuals lost their jobs, schools closed resulting in children not getting meals there and other normal sources of food were curtailed, resulting in households being unable to obtain all of the food that they needed. The U.S. Census Pulse Survey results indicate that those who sometimes or often did not have enough to eat due to lack of resources increased from about 20% pre-pandemic to 28% by mid-2021. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Feeding America non-profit group produces annual \u201cMap the Meal Gap\u201d reports that include estimates of food insecurity at the city level.\u00a0 Their most recent report (2020) was used as the measure of food insecurity in the 2021 American Fitness Index (Fitness Index). Feeding America uses U.S. Census Current Population Survey data to measure of food insecurity based on a well-established statistical model using unemployment rates, median incomes, racial demographics and other factors shown to be determinants of food insecurity. Across the 100 cities included in the 2021 Fitness Index, there was almost a three-fold difference in the percentage of households with food insecurity, from a low of 6.7% for Arlington, VA, to a high of 18.2% for St. Louis, MO.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the impact of food insecurity?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

A considerable amount of research\u00a0 has examined the physical and mental impact of food insecurity, including poor physical health outcomes, inadequate intake of key nutrients for optimum functioning and increased risk of chronic disease. Associations also exist between food insecurity and obesity along with poor glycemic control among those with diabetes. Of particular concern from a fitness perspective is that food insecure households may not consume an adequate amount of protein, a nutrient<\/span> essential for\u00a0a variety of bodily functions, including building and repairing muscles,\u00a0 bone health and development\u00a0and stabilizing blood sugar.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Healthy cognitive,\u00a0 psychological and emotional development among children is also dependent on them consuming sufficient amounts of nutritious food. America\u2019s poor and near-poor children are at higher risk of lower academic achievement and behavioral problems. Food insecurity has been associated with poor psychological and cognitive functioning, higher probability of behavioral problems and higher levels of aggression and anxiety among children. Food insecure women are more likely to experience prenatal depressive symptoms than food secure women. Another consequence of food insecurity is poor sleep which can cloud thinking and lower energy, as well as decrease the ability to make good decisions. The profound impact of food insecurity on individuals\u2019 physical and mental health made a clear case for adding this indicator to the Fitness Index.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How is food insecurity addressed at a policy level?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The federal government\u00a0 recently expanded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and other safety net programs that support low-income children and mothers during the pandemic to help increase access to food among those in need. These programs provide more than half of all food support for households in need. The USDA has also funded innovative demonstration projects such as creating and distributing meal boxes that contain a week\u2019s worth of groceries that can be delivered to those in need.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What can city officials do to reduce food insecurity\u00a0 locally?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

In addition to supporting existing food banks, pantries and other food providing programs, many city\u00a0 officials have supported the development and maintenance of innovative and effective programs to improve access to healthy food. The following examples offer city officials, local businesses and residents an opportunity to get involved in reducing food insecurity in their communities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n