ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire)—Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 11 million children lived in food insecure homes—meaning there was not enough food or the right kind of food—to live a healthy lifestyle. Since March of last year, an estimated 18 million kids have not gotten enough food to eat. Now a study reveals one factor that may increase a household’s risk of being food insufficient.
No job and no savings equals a hard time trying to put food on the table.
But some people are struggling more than others. In fact, 1 in 5 Black and Latino households with children are food insufficient. A recent survey from the Census Bureau found 19 percent of Latino and 22 percent of Black households with children sometimes or often did not have enough food to eat. Experts point to racial disparities in unemployment, housing, and healthcare as the leading factors.
In the summer of 2020, about 1 in 7 Black and Latino workers were unemployed compared to 1 in 10 white workers. Latino and Black households were also more likely to have no access to healthcare, fewer savings assets, and faced housing hardships. Families can look to food banks or federal assistance programs such as supplemental nutrition assistance program, or SNAP, for help getting food on the table. Making sure no child is left hungry.
Children who live in food insufficient households are at higher risk of health, academic, behavioral, and emotional problems than those who live in households that are not food insufficient.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Executive Producer; Milvionne Chery, Field Producer and Roque Correa, Editor
Produced by Child Trends News Service in partnership with Ivanhoe Broadcast News and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation