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BREAKING: America is going hungry.
#FoodInsecurity (FI) rates have seen meteoric rises during the #covid19 pandemic, like many social determinants of health (homelessness, IPV, transportation, etc).
A brief
on FI, & why this holiday
season, consider GIVING to help fight FI
#FoodInsecurity (FI) rates have seen meteoric rises during the #covid19 pandemic, like many social determinants of health (homelessness, IPV, transportation, etc).
A brief
on FI, & why this holidayseason, consider GIVING to help fight FI
The $900B economic relief package that passed Monday evening includes $26B for nutrition assistance and agriculture and rural programs. Half of that, $13B, is to provide nutrition assistance for food-insecure Americans.
One of the most important aspects is the 15% increase in monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the next six months starting Jan. 1 for the roughly 43 million Americans receiving food stamps.
The package also expands eligibility for needy college students. Older adults will also see a boost in funding for the Older Americans Act nutrition programs ($175 million), including support for tribal nutrition programs ($7 million).
The increase adds a little less than $1 per person, per day, so an approximate $25 addition per person each month. That's not very much.
Why does this matter? What does food insecurity (FI) have to do with medicine? How can YOU help?
Why does this matter? What does food insecurity (FI) have to do with medicine? How can YOU help?
FI leads to 
healthcare utilization & cost by:
1. Making it harder to keep a healthy diet (
for diet-dependent dx, like DM & CHF)
2. Forcing competing demands between food & other needs, like meds
or transportation
3.
the cognitive bandwidth to manage chronic illness
healthcare utilization & cost by:1. Making it harder to keep a healthy diet (
for diet-dependent dx, like DM & CHF)2. Forcing competing demands between food & other needs, like meds
or transportation3.
the cognitive bandwidth to manage chronic illness
One study looking at 8k pts at an urban ED during periods of '07-'09 noted 
rates of reporting any hunger
2007: 20.3%
2008: 27.8%
2009: 38.3%
& rates of patients having to choose food over medicines
2007: 20.0%
2008: 18.5%
2209: 22.6% https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3656707/
rates of reporting any hunger2007: 20.3%
2008: 27.8%
2009: 38.3%
&
rates of patients having to choose food over medicines2007: 20.0%
2008: 18.5%
2209: 22.6% https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3656707/
Another study looking at 11.8k pts (13% reporting FI ) found FI was associated with significantly ED visits, hospitalizations, and days hospitalized, after adjustment for demographics, education, income, health insurance, region, and rural residence. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30222918/
ED visits, hospitalizations, and days hospitalized, after adjustment for demographics, education, income, health insurance, region, and rural residence. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30222918/
#COVID19, coupled with the rise in unemployment rates amongst all groups, has led to national, state, county, and congressional district-level increases in the number of people who are food insecure in 2020. That number may >50 million, w/17 million children.
@FeedingAmerica
>50 million, w/17 million children.@FeedingAmerica
.
Even pre-pandemic, 13.7 million households (10.5% of U.S. homes), experienced food insecurity at some point during 2019 [USDA]. That's >35 mill Americans who were unable to meet their food needs, or uncertain of where their next meal may come from in '19
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx
In late April, a large national survey found that more than 17% of mothers reported that their children <12 y/o were not getting enough to eat because the family couldn’t afford enough food — a 400% increase from the government’s last estimate in 2018. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/06/the-covid-19-crisis-has-already-left-too-many-children-hungry-in-america/
Not surprisingly, the minorities most afflicted by #COVID19 are also seeing upticks in FI. While only 3% of all counties have a majority Black population (>50%), @FeedingAmerica's FI projections report 18/25 counties projected to have the highest 2020 FI rates are majority Black.
Similarly, #LatinX households are seeing higher rates of FI than their white counterparts throughout the pandemic.
https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/documents/reports/ipr-rapid-research-reports-pulse-hh-data-9-july-2020-by-race-ethnicity.pdf
https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/documents/reports/ipr-rapid-research-reports-pulse-hh-data-9-july-2020-by-race-ethnicity.pdf
The @uscensusbureau released pandemic data showing 39% of Black households with children and 37% of Hispanic households with children are currently food insecure, compared with 25% and 17%, respectively, in 2018. The rate for white households with kids is 22%.
New to experiencing food insecurity? You aren't alone. 4/10 Americans experienced FI for the first time during this pandemic according to a poll from @TwoGoodYogurt. Yet 63% said they didn’t realize they were experiencing food insecurity. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-explores-evolving-dynamics-of-those-experiencing-food-insecurity-for-the-first-time-in-covid-era-301174188.html
Since Thanksgiving, social media has been flooded with pictures of hours-long waits at food pantries across the country, just like these. Food banks act as a lifeline for many when it comes to providing their families with healthy and nutritious food.
@FeedingAmerica has never handed out so much so fast — 4.2 billion meals from Mar-Oct. They report a 60% avg increase in food bank users during the pandemic. An @AP analysis of their data found the org has distributed nearly 57% more food in the third quarter of the year, vs. '19
So, this holiday season, consider giving back. Money
, time
, and food
, can all be donated in various ways to our larger organizations & local banks. Before the pandemic, food banks relied on the generous time of nearly 2 million volunteers per month.
, time, and food, can all be donated in various ways to our larger organizations & local banks. Before the pandemic, food banks relied on the generous time of nearly 2 million volunteers per month.
Since COVID-19, volunteer numbers are down, but the need is even higher, as many regular volunteers are in the higher-risk category and are staying home. And there are many ways to help food banks right now in person or at home. YOU CAN HELP!
Find your local food bank & inquire about volunteering ("contactless" options available):
https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
https://www.foodpantries.org/
Donate: https://www.foodshuttle.org/ https://www.thecut.com/2020/11/how-to-donate-to-a-food-bank-or-volunteer.html
https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
https://www.foodpantries.org/
Donate: https://www.foodshuttle.org/ https://www.thecut.com/2020/11/how-to-donate-to-a-food-bank-or-volunteer.html
