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Hunger in children in the United States: potential behavioral and emotional correlates
R E Kleinman1, J M Murphy, M Little
1Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Insights
Childhood hunger is linked to significant psychosocial problems. Hungry children are more likely to experience emotional, behavioral, and academic difficulties compared to their peers in food-secure households.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health Nutrition
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Millions of American children face food insufficiency and hunger annually.
- An additional 10 million children are identified as at-risk for hunger.
- This study investigates the link between hunger and psychosocial functioning in low-income children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between food insufficiency and psychosocial functioning in school-aged children.
- To assess the prevalence of emotional, behavioral, and academic problems in hungry children.
Main Methods:
- A study of 328 low-income families in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
- Utilized a two-stage area probability sampling design.
- Assessed child psychosocial functioning using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist and hunger status via Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP) survey questions.
Main Results:
- Children classified as hungry by CCHIP were significantly more likely to exhibit clinical levels of psychosocial dysfunction.
- Virtually all assessed behavioral, emotional, and academic problems were more prevalent in hungry children.
- Aggression and anxiety showed the strongest association with experiences of hunger.
Conclusions:
- Food insufficiency and hunger in children are associated with increased behavioral, emotional, and academic problems.
- Findings highlight the critical role of food security in child development.
- Increased awareness among healthcare providers and public health officials is crucial.
Objective:
Results from a recent series of surveys from 9 states and the District of Columbia by the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP) provide an estimate that 4 million American children experience prolonged periodic food insufficiency and hunger each year, 8% of the children under the age of 12 in this country. The same studies show that an additional 10 million children are at risk for hunger. The current study examined the relationship between hunger as defined by the CCHIP measure (food insufficiency attributable to constrained resources) and variables reflecting the psychosocial functioning of low-income, school-aged children.
Methods:
The study group included 328 parents and children from a CCHIP study of families with at least 1 child under the age of 12 years living in the city of Pittsburgh and the surrounding Allegheny County. A two-stage area probability sampling design with standard cluster techniques was used. All parents whose child was between the ages of 6 and 12 years at the time of interview were asked to complete a Pediatric Symptom Checklist, a brief parent-report questionnaire that assesses children's emotional and behavioral symptoms. Hunger status was defined by parent responses to the standard 8 food-insufficiency questions from the CCHIP survey that are used to classify households and children as "hungry," "at-risk for hunger," or "not hungry."
Results:
In an area probability sample of low-income families, those defined as hungry on the CCHIP measure were significantly more likely to have clinical levels of psychosocial dysfunction on the Pediatric Symptom Checklist than children defined as at-risk for hunger or not hungry. Analysis of individual items and factor scores on the Pediatric Symptom Checklist showed that virtually all behavioral, emotional, and academic problems were more prevalent in hungry children, but that aggression and anxiety had the strongest degree of association with experiences of hunger.
Conclusion:
Children from families that report multiple experiences of food insufficiency and hunger are more likely to show behavioral, emotional, and academic problems on a standardized measure of psychosocial dysfunction than children from the same low-income communities whose families do not report experiences of hunger. Although causality cannot be determined from a cross-sectional design, the strength of these findings suggests the importance of greater awareness on the part of health care providers and public health officials of the role of food insufficiency and hunger in the lives of poor children.