It's hard to believe that there are people in America who don't get enough to eat, who have to skip meals on a regular basis, and who go to bed hungry. But the fact is that 35.5 million Americans1, including 12.6 million children, are at risk of hunger2, meaning they don't get enough food to live active, healthful lives. These hungry children are in our nation's classrooms and on our playgrounds. They live in rural areas and in cities, and in single-parent homes as well as in two-income homes.
Each year in the late fall the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes a report on Household Food Security in the United States. The USDA defines food security as access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. In the context of this site, "hungry" represents low or very low food secure households.
Childhood hunger in America is a hidden problem. Children who miss a meal or who don't eat on a regular basis are hungry, and they don't need to be starving to be hungry or malnourished. You can't always immediately tell the difference between a child who went to bed hungry and a child who ate three well-balanced meals. But over time, that difference can have a tremendous impact on a hungry child's life.
Child hunger, even if experienced for intermittent periods of a child's developmental years, affects children in long-lasting and devastating ways. So what does that mean?
Hunger Means Children Are Missing Meals and Vital Nutrients to Grow
Approximately 1 in 6 American children is at risk of hunger and potentially goes to bed hungry at some point in the year due to lack of household resources to secure an adequate food supply.3
Nearly 1 in 10 households that receive food aid reports that children still miss meals because parents don't have enough food or enough money to buy food.4
6 in 10 children who receive a free school lunch do not get school breakfast.5 Breakfast improves nutrition, prevents obesity, improves students' achievement, and reduces discipline problems in school. Also, 8 in 10 children who receive a school lunch do not receive food during the summer, when school is out.6
Hunger Means Children Rely on Support from Food Banks
1 in 8 children in this country is served by Feeding America®, the nation's largest network of food banks.7
1 out of every 4 people in line at a Feeding America food bank is a child.8
Children who don't eat a balanced diet—even for a short time—can develop problems with their physical, emotional, and cognitive development.9 Research indicates that even mild undernutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts the behavior of children, their school performance, and their overall cognitive development.10
Children who are hungry develop physical problems, such as:
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Slower growth and inhibited brain development11
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More illnesses, including stomachaches, headaches, colds, ear infections, and fatigue12
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Greater susceptibility to obesity and its harmful health consequences13
Children who are hungry can develop psychosocial and behavioral issues, such as:
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More aggressive behavior14
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Higher levels of hyperactivity, anxiety, and/or passivity15
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Difficulty getting along with other children16
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Greater need for mental health services17
When babies don't have proper nourishment, they are:
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30 percent more likely to be hospitalized
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90 percent more likely to in fair or poor health18
Children who are hungry may not perform well academically. Hungry children are likely to:
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Have impaired cognitive functioning and diminished capacity to learn19
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Achieve lower test scores and overall school performance20
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Need to repeat a grade21
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Experience school absences, tardiness, and school suspensions22
Evidence suggests that a child who experiences learning issues due to hunger and poverty is more likely to be poor as an adult.
Researchers continue to study the importance of a healthy diet to children's academic performance. Most recently, a new study in the Journal of School Health found students with good eating habits are less likely to fail literacy tests. The researchers stressed the importance of eating an adequate amount of fruit, vegetables, protein, fiber, and other components of a healthy diet.
Become part of the solution and help the hungry children of America. Learn how you can get involved in the fight against child hunger.
1-22 Hunger statistic sources
