Beyond Income: What Else Predicts Very Low Food Security Among Children?
Authors:
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Hilary Hoynes, Kristin Butcher, Patricia Anderson
Tags:
benefits, children, families, food insecurity, food security, food stamps, free and reduced-price lunch, households, mental health, nutrition, physical health, SNAP, teenager
Journal:
Southern Economic Journal
Year Published:
2016
Policy Summary
Here, Hoynes et al examines characteristics that are associated with United States households that have children with very low food security who may be at risk of nutritional deficiencies. The authors find that these households commonly have teenage children and participate in programs such as SNAP and free and reduced-price lunch. The presence of an adult in the household who has poor mental or physical health is the most important factor to determine if children will be food insecure. These findings suggest that policy that promotes parental health may have beneficial effects on children’s health and nutrition. Furthermore, nutrition programs should consider the age of household members when determining benefits to better meet the needs of recipients.
