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What is Food Insecurity?
Food insecurity is defined at a household level, of not having adequate food for any household member due to finances. The step beyond this is very low food security, which is having six (for families without children) to eight (for families with children) or more food insecure conditions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Security Supplement Survey. To be very low food secure means members of the household disrupt their food intake due to financial reasons. "These conditions are: worrying about running out of food, that food bought doesn’t last, a lack of a balanced diet, adults cutting down portion sizes or out meals entirely, eating less than what they felt they should, being hungry and not eating, unattended weight loss, not eating for whole days (repeatedly), due to financial reasons."Food Insecurity is closely related to poverty but is not mutually exclusive. Food insecurity does not exist in isolation and is just one individual aspect in the multiple factors of social determinants regarding health.

Food Insecurity in the United States:
In 2018, the percent of households experiencing food insecurity was 11.1 percent. Breaking that down to 14.3 million households that experienced food insecurity. Estimating that 37.2 million people living in food-insecure households, and experienced food insecurity in 2018. Of these 37.2 million people approximately six million children were living in food insecure households and around a half million children experience very low food security. To be experiencing very low food insecurity, demonstrates modifying the eating norms due to financial struggles in ascertaining food.

Poverty:
Federal Poverty line: $25465

Children:
In 2018 six million children experience food insecurity. Feeding America estimates that around one in seven children or approximately 11 million, children experience hunger and do not know where they will get their next meal or when. The wide breadth between these source's data could possibly be explain that food insecurity is not all-encompassing of hunger, and is only a solid predictor. 13.9% of households with children experience food insecurity with the number increasing for households having children under the age of six (14.3%). "Children are more likely to repeat a grade in elementary school and experience developmental impairments in areas like language and motor skills."

Elderly:
Approximately 5.5 million senior citizens face hunger in the United States. This number has been steadily increasing since 2001 by 45%. Predictions believe that more than 8 million senior citizens will be suffering by 2050. Senior citizens are at an increased risk of food insecurity with many having fixed incomes and having to choose between health care and food. With most eligible seniors failing to enroll and receive food assistance such as SNAP.

Gender:
In a 2018 survey, there were findings displaying that gender impacts food insecurity. It found that single headed houses experience food insecurity at higher rates then the national average. Single headed households headed by women (14.2% for those living alone, and those with children 27.8%) had higher rates then male single-headed households (living alone:12.5% and those with children 15.9%) both with and without children.

Black:
In the same survey during 2018 it displays a racial disparity between hunger, and food insecurity. For Blacks 21.2% experience food insecurity. This becomes alarming when comparing poverty rates for Blacks to Whites with data displaying the highest groups to experience food insecurity is those that experience the most severe poverty (9% of which African-Americans live in deep poverty conditions). In continuation and for further support “The 10 counties with the highest food insecurity rates in the nation are at least 60% African-American. Seven of the ten counties are in Mississippi.” This depicts the intersectionality of socio-economic and race to display the greatest food insecurity.

Hispanic/Latino:
Another racial group that experiences great food insecurity is Hispanic/Latino population. Where one in six households struggle with hunger, and approximately 1 in five children are at risk of hunger. The food insecurity of the Latino population in the United States is 16.1%.

Geographic Regions:
The prevalence of food insecurity is found to be highest in principal cities (13.2%), high in rural areas (12.7) and lowest in suburban and other metropolitan’ areas (non-principal cities) (8.9%). This could possibly display the poor infrastructure within rural and downtown areas in cities, where jobs maybe scare, or display a central reliance on a mode of transit which may come at additional cost.

Regionally, the food insecurity rate was highest in the South (12.0 percent).

Rural areas: Update

2.3 million households in rural communities’ face hunger. Rural communities make up 63% of the counties in the US and 78% or these rural counties have higher rates of food insecurity. 84% of these rural counties have the highest percentage of children additionally are at risk for food insecurity.

States:

The data provided from the survey demonstrated that regionally states experience different rates of food insecurity, and its severity. Rates of prevalence of food insecurity were highest in AL, AR, IN, KY, LA, MS, NC, NM, OH, OK, TX, and WV.

The data also demonstrated that the prevalence of very low food security were highest in AL, AR, KS, LA, MS, NM, OH, OK, TX, and WV

Hunger:
Hunger can manifest a multitude of physical symptoms and signs. Symptoms can that one may experience is tiredness, feelings of coldness, dry cracked skin, swelling, and dizziness. Signs maybe thinning of the face, pale flaky skin, low blood pressure, low pulse, low temperature and cold extremities. Additional signs denoting more extreme cases include vitamin deficient, osteocalcin, anemia, muscle tenderness, weakening of the muscular system, loss of sensation in extremities, heart failure, cracked lips diarrhea, and dementia. Server hunger can lead to the shrinking of the digestive system track, promote bacterial growth in the intestines, deterioration in the heart and kidney function, impair the immune system.

Hunger for children:
Hunger can lead to multiple health consequences, pre-birth development, low birth weights, higher frequency of illness and a delay in mental and physical development. This impairment may cause educational issues, which often can lead to children being held back a year in school. Children experiencing hunger in the first three years of life are more likely to be hospitalized, experience higher rates of anemia and asthma and develop a weakened immune system, and develop chronic illnesses as an adult. Hunger in later stages of childhood can cause a delayed onset of puberty changing the rate of secretion of critically needed hormones.

Hunger for elderly:
Elderly people (people over the age of 60) are at an increased risk of experiencing hunger. Several reasons seniors are at a high risk of hunger and food insecurity is due to lack of mobility, pre-existing health issues, and potentially are at risk of living alone. This population has been experiencing increasingly higher rates of food-insecurity. One all too common occurrence for the elderly is choosing between food and medical care/insurance.