FOOD INSECURITY NOT JUST A LOW-INCOME ISSUE

A new Brookings Institution report reviews research findings on the causes of food insecurity among children and the effectiveness of policies to address it. Not surprisingly, the report finds that families with low incomes are more likely to be food insecure.  But it also finds that other factors, such as the health of caregivers and access to stable housing and child care, can influence children’s food insecurity. Caregivers in food-insecure households were more likely to report physical and mental health problems, such as depression and substance abuse, than caregivers in food-secure households. And, the report found, children attending a child-care center were less likely to be food insecure than other children.

Source: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/16/14, Food Insecurity