FOOD INSECURITY GROWS AMONG BOSTON’S CHILDREN

Over the past decade, the number of families with young children in Boston who are food insecure has increased significantly. In a sample of more than 5,000 families with children under age four receiving care at Boston Medical Center, Children’s HealthWatch found a 77% increase in the proportion of food-insecure families between 2006 and 2012.  Food insecurity now affects about 35% of such households in the city. Children’s HealthWatch research has shown that when Boston families are food insecure, their young children are more likely to be in poor health and at risk for developmental delays, and mothers are more likely to struggle with both their physical and mental health.

 

Source: Children’s HealthWatch, 4/14, Boston Food Insecurity