Essay Sample on Food Insecurities Among Children

Very low food securities among children may affect their cognitive development. Research carried out has shown that children are affected by food insecurities both at their early childhood as well as during their schooling ages. However, infants aged between four to thirty-six months are severely affected by food insecurities as compared to the children who are raised in secure food homes. This condition results to lower cognitive development outcomes in children. In schools, this condition is related to poor performance especially in courses such as mathematics and comprehension reading, especially among learning classes. Low food insecurities among children may also affect their development outcomes as the condition is related to anemia which is caused by the deficiency in irons (Wigh, Thamp & Briggs, 2010). These nutrients are vital for child development for cognitive development and normal learning. Insufficient iron in a child causes fatigue, low levels of energy and weakness.

Food insecurities among children may also affect their health on social, emotional development. It affects the internalizing conduct problems among school children and in particular on those who are in lower level classes. It is associated with psychological dysfunction and social skills where it rarely affects female children. Children are more aggressive, have less positive and withdrawn behavior. This condition affects the adolescent in a different way such as suicidal behaviors as well as depressive disorders. Low food securities also affect the physical health of children. They have a poor overall health. They are likely to be hospitalized, have a lower functionality of their physical bodies and are affected by chronic diseases. Some researchers, however, have indicated that children related to food insecurities are more likely to have an increased weight gain and BMI. However, other research, for example, one by National Center for Children in Poverty suggests that children suggest that those children who are affected by the topic subject are less likely to be impacted by increased body weight or BMI in particular among the female children (Sharkey et al., 2017). Children may also have type 2 diabetes as they have little consumption of calcium, vitamin D, calories, and proteins.

Collected data and how it is related to health outcomes.

The data outcomes are identified among children starting from the year 2008. The report is from the Current Population Survey-Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS), U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (Census and USDA/ERS) (Healthy People 2020, 2017). In the year 2008, about 1.3 of the households that had children were affected by food insecurities. In the year 2010, 1.0 were affected, in 2011, 1.0 were affected followed by 2012 with 1.2. In 2013, 0.9 were affected and 0.7 in 2015. The target statistics by the year 2020 is 0.2. This trend indicates that food insecurities have continued to decline over the past few years and so has the health outcomes as few diseases have been reported about these statistics (Healthy People 2020, 2017).

Alternative article.

The related research article discussed is "The relationship between childhood adversity and food insecurity: It's like a bird nesting in your head'" (Chilton et al., 2017).It discusses the hostile children experiences that include instabilities in household and neglect that affect long-life economic potential as well as health potential. The article investigates the various childhood behavior as a result of low food securities by finding out the parents' or caregivers' perception of the impact of food insecurities on their children about their education life and mental health. The article suggests that household food insecurities are categorized into two aspects namely, low food insecurities related to problems in food access problems and very low food insecurities that are related to food intake and disruptions in timing when taking food which caused by lack of funds in homes. The article also stresses on the outcomes of food insecurities such as psychological stress among children, poor child development behavior, and social isolation.

References

Chilton, M., Knowles, M., Rabinowich, J., & Arnold, K. (2017). The relationship between childhood adversity and food insecurity: It's like a bird nesting in your head.' Retrieved 2 October 2017, from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/relationship-between-childhood-adversity-and-food-insecurity-its-like-a-bird-nesting-in-your-head/F5C43DADDEF8ABCC2A59B139F8FB01A6

Sharkey, J., Nalty, C., Johnson, C., & Dean, W. (2017). Children's very low food security is associated with increased dietary intakes of energy, fat, and added sugar among Mexican-origin children (6-11 y) in Texas border Colonias. Retrieved 2 October 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3298490/

Wigh, V., Thamp, K., & Briggs, o. (2010). Who Are America's Poor Children? (1st ed., pp. 1-16). NCCP. Retrieved from https://www.nokidhungry.org/sites/default/files/text_958.pdf

Search the Data | Healthy People 2020. (2017). Healthypeople.gov. Retrieved 2 October 2017, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/data-search/Search-the-Data#objid=4935;