It goes without saying that, around the United States, and also around the World, there are hunger problems. One crucial area is with school age children. Nutritious foods in the right amounts are essential for everyone, but particularly for children. In early childhood, adequate nutrition can ensure healthy growth, proper organ formation and function, a strong immune system, and neurological and cognitive development. Nutrition also has increasingly been recognized as a basic pillar for social and economic development. Well-nourished children can learn new skills, think critically and contribute to society. Many U.S. children lack proper nutrition. This is called malnutrition. Malnutrition is caused by an insufficient or a poorly balanced …show more content…
Malnutrition affects not only the body but also the mind. The more nutrients that are missing the more apt they will have problems. Kids facing hunger are twice as likely to repeat a grade in elementary school. Teachers and administrators, a lot of the time, can see the signs that the child is hungry. About 62% of teachers say children in their classrooms are coming to school hungry. Many signs of the lack of proper nutrition can include fatigue(low energy), dizziness, decaying teeth, poor growth, weakness, bloated stomach, fragile bones, and problems learning. They can lack the ability to concentrate and can not keep up. Children will usually tell you when they are hungry. If all they can think about is eating, they are not learning what is being taught. Their stomachs need to be full so they are hungry for knowledge. Schools have re-examined and strengthened nutritional guidelines with their school’s breakfast and lunch programs. Locally, teachers themselves have been purchasing snacks for during the school day. Also, many snack programs, such as the “Buddy Bag” program have evolved where lunch bags with nutritional snack type foods are sent home over the weekend with …show more content…
Trying to stretch money to cover costs such as mortgages, electric bills, gas and grocery bills. Food can be a struggle. Unemployment rates, low paying jobs, poor educations and the lack of transportation or mass transit are just a few of the contributing factors.
Some of the reasons our children are malnutritioned is in regards to the quality of the food. A lot of our foods are made with refined products such as refined sugar, oils, salts and flour. They contain artificial ingredients and preservatives. Boxed meals are made for convenience not nutrition. Households who are struggling are buying what is cheapest, not what is best. People buy what their kids will eat, not what offers the best nutritional value.
So how can we fight for these children? We need to advocate for the children especially with federal programs that fund hunger. We need to be their voice so they can be heard. Call or write your congressman to show your passion on the issue. We can donate our time by volunteering. Food banks need volunteers to sort, package and distribute food to food-insecure families. Donate food to those food banks or participate in a food drive. Finally, spread awareness. The more people who know about the issue, the more help you can
The United States is known as the wealthiest country in the world. But, there are many people that can't afford to buy food for their families, many are also homeless. “While hunger affects people of all ages, it's particularly devastating for children even short-term episodes of hunger can cause lasting damage."(“Child Nutrition Programs") Child hunger in the United States is caused by poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and food shortage; however there are many solutions to this problem like FRAC strategies, food banks, summer feeding programs, and backpack feeding programs.
Of those, 46.5 million were in poverty (Hunger & Poverty Statistics, 2012). For some individuals’s food insecurity is only a temporary situation, for others it may be for an extended period. Food insecurity due to temporary situations such as unemployment, divorce, major medical or illness can become more long term. The vast majority of these are families with children. The Faces of Food Insecurity Food insecurity does not discriminate; it reaches many segments of society (Whitney, DeBruyne, Pinna, & Rolfes, 2007).
President Obama once said, “As the wealthiest nation on Earth, I believe the United States has a moral obligation to lead the fight against hunger and malnutrition, and to partner with others.” Food insecurity has always been an issue of the public as well as around the world. For so long, many generations of Americans have been living in poverty or in a low income state. It would be surprise as to how many Americans are living in poverty. As a result of this living situation, there are problems that arise with it. One of the problems is food insecurity. Food insecurity can be simply explained as not having access to affordable and quality food. This problem can lead to serious
Studies have shown that there is a link between food security, performance in the classroom, and obesity. If this issue is not faced head on, America will have a generation of children not fully prepared for the workforce and high health insurance rates due to obesity health issues. In providing help to people who find themselves in food insecure households, people can be found who are skeptical of their true need. One of the biggest myths of the disadvantaged is that they have poor shopping habits or shop in convenience stores where prices are extremely high compared to those in grocery stores. Another myth is that in America, the land of plenty, those that cannot afford food are lazy or cheats.... ...
Nutrition also plays an important role in student health. Proper nutrition promotes optimal growth and development of children. Researchers generally find that a higher quality diet is associated with better performance on academic test scores and that nutritional status can directly affect mental capacity among school age children (Frisvold). Teaching students about the benefits of good nutrition will help them stay healthy throughout their growing years. “My plate” is one of the easy and interactive tools they can avail to assist them in making healthier food
"Hunger and Malnutrition." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Ed. Mary L. Gavin. The Nemours Foundation, 01 May 2012. Web. 12 May 2014.
Although we, as college students, cannot put a stop to this detrimental issue ourselves, we can assist in ceasing the starvation in our local communities. We could conduct fundraisers for struggling families, and place food drives on campus and outside our local grocery stores. As well as fundraisers, we can make sure that more people are aware of how serious this matter is. Hunger is not a selective factor; it is bound to happen to anyone of us. Therefore, we, as a whole, should make an effort to help others as they go through this obstacle because we would want someone to do the same for us or our loved
Unfortunately, in today’s society, school administrators focus heavily on standardized test scores and school rankings thus adding more pressure on students and teachers. This being said, schools have begun to focus on providing healthy foods because they help increase a person’s cognitive and critical thinking ability. It is seen that nutrition plays a great role in students’ performance on exams and physical activity due to the correlation between school provided meals and low student
Williamson, D. A., Han, H., Johnson, W. D., Martin, C. K., & Newton, R. L. (2013). Modification of the school cafeteria environment can impact childhood nutrition. Results from the Wise Mind and LA Health studies. Appetite, 61, 77–84. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.002
A considerable effort has been done in terms of defining the social issue of Child Hunger or hunger in general for policy purposes. Both private and public sectors, with the cooperation of the government agencies, privately funded advocate groups, and academic institutions have used the method to measure hunger by self-report of his or her own experience of suffering from hunger. (Lewit and Kerrebrock, 1997, Pg 129). According to Lewit and Kerrebrock (1997) poverty is defined as “an inadequate amount of food intake due to a lock of money or resources” (pg.129) or “The mental or physical condition that comes from not eating enough food due to insufficient economic, family, or community resources.” (pg.129). As it stands today, Hunger is now defined with the term “Food insecurity” which means families or individuals are unable to secure or afford nutritious safe food in order to have a healthy active lifestyle.
As a group, America's poor are far from being chronically undernourished. The average consumption of protein, vitamins, and minerals is virtually the same for poor and middle-class children and, in most cases, is well above recommended norms.
How can hunger be reduced in the United States? In order to reduce hunger, every possible cause must be addressed. Climate changes, natural disasters, wars, and lack of aid are just a few causes of hunger and food insecurity. These issues can be dealt with nationally and locally. Nationally, there need to be programs and policies in place that give access to resources and the ability to sustain those efforts. To reduce hunger in local communities, more support needs to be given to farmers and markets, and there always needs to be access to food and aid.
Did you know that one in five households in the United States are considered to have food insecurity. Food insecurity is described by the USDA as meaning “consistent access to adequate food is limited by the lack of money and other resources at times during the year” (2014). This affects 31 million people in the United States, which includes 15.9 million children under the age of 18. For example, the Walls family in The Glass Castle written by Jeannette Walls leaves a great example of what it is like to be under these circumstances. Currently, with prices of food rising to an all time high, so does the number of people not able to buy the basic foods they need to live a full life. By increasing spending on food benefit programs in the United States, guarantees less people who suffer from food insecurity.
Many of these children only get a full meal while having their school lunch, so many of these children go hungry the rest of the day.
“Malnourished children are 20% less literate than those with a healthier diet, says UK charity Save the Children” (The Information Daily). When parents become victims of poverty it can have some very unpleasing long and short term effects to their children. Parents in poverty have a lot on their plate and buying the best quality food or affording enough food can be a tumultuous task. Quality nutrition is essential for the development of the brain. At a young age, poor nutrition or not enough nutrition can seriously hinder “the brain 's development, a child’s ability to learn and has a devastating impact on a child’s future”(The Information Daily). “Malnutrition in the early developmental stages of the brain, by restricting the children’s cognitive growth, can lower a child 's IQ has much has 20 points”(The Information Daily). Long term effects of malnutrition leave permanent damage to the brain, however, malnutrition has short term effects as well. Malnourishment can greatly compromise a child’s immune system, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. “Low counts of zinc, iron and vitamin A are commonly associated with weakened immune function” (Orphan Nutrition). A deadly infection can have a huge impact on a poverty stricken family leading to less affordability. Malnutrition negatively affects a student throughout their educational