This week, more than 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, are set to lose their monthly food benefits as part of the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Many of these Americans struggle with food insecurity, which is the lack of stable access to food due to limited money or other resources. SNAP is a lifeline for millions of families with young children, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and those who work but do not make a living wage.
The grocer in my rural South Dakota hometown posted this week about the real effects of food insecurity on rural communities. He mentioned that he keeps stores open past midnight on SNAP disbursement days, as many parents are there to get “their first real food in days.” With rising food costs, SNAP is often not enough to keep families fed each month, but stopping benefits altogether will have tragic long-term consequences for children, which I review below. Children’s health and development should not be a bargaining chip in this government shutdown.
Lack of food has lifelong effects on mental and physical health
Child food insecurity is associated with a two times greater risk for fair or poor health (compared to good or excellent health) in childhood, as well as a 1.4 times greater risk of child asthma. Greater food insecurity also predicts greater increases in body mass over time, suggesting that food security may reduce the risk for obesity. A compelling study of over 1,000 U.S. children showed that food insecurity in early childhood led to greater cardiovascular risk in adulthood. This study found that the SNAP program specifically was effective at improving cardiovascular health in the face of food insecurity. Looking even earlier in development, food insecurity in pregnancy is associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes, setting up the next generation for poorer health. Food insecurity in pregnancy and childhood is robustly linked with poorer health.
Children with food insecurity are around 50 percent more likely to have anxiety or depression compared to children without food insecurity (from a study of more than 100,000 U.S. children). Children with food insecurity are also more likely to have behavior problems, which can affect how they show up in school or in family life. Importantly, experiencing food insecurity affects how people trust institutions, such as governments, as well as their trust in their communities. Trust in institutions is an important part of a healthy democracy, so this period of heightened food insecurity could spell problems for our democracy down the road. Food insecurity sets up children for poorer mental health, which has implications for their later health and life outcomes.
Children who have food insecurity are likely to experience other types of stress as well, such as homelessness, living in an unsafe neighborhood with lower-quality schools, and not having access to medical care or psychological help. We know that stressors like poverty can have detrimental effects on mental and physical health, including on our basic biology. Restricting children’s ability to eat is a major stressor, often on top of many others.
Programs such as SNAP and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program reduce food insecurity in the US. Free school meals, educational programs such as Head Start, and local food banks also ensure children are fed. The long-term impacts of food insecurity on children’s health and well-being are well-known. We must protect food access for children to promote their healthy development.
