National Data on Households with Food-Insecure Children

Food security is essential to children’s current and future health and well-being, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service found that 15.8 percent of U.S. households with children were food insecure at some point in the year. Food Insecurity in Households with Children: Prevalence, Severity, and Household Characteristics describes the prevalence and severity of food insecurity in households with children as of 2007 and the trends since 1999. The study also examines the characteristics of households with food-insecure children, suggesting that job opportunities and wage rates for less educated workers are significant factors affecting children’s food security. Policies to expand food assistance to families and promote family economic success can help address food insecurity and its affect on children.