SNAP: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides financial support each month for the purchase of food. Research studies have shown that enrollment in SNAP reduces food insecurity and improves the overall health and well-being of participants.
WIC: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides food and nutritional support for children and pregnant and postpartum women.
School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program SBP) provide free or low-cost meals to students at school. One study has shown that free or reduced lunches can reduce food insecurity by almost 4%. Source
Food Banks: Local food banks provide free food to those in need.
At the start of 2022, the Healthy State Advisory Board added Food Insecurity to our list of priority issues. The reason is simple – too many of our residents are hungry and lack consistent and reliable access to food, especially healthy and nutritious foods that support a well-balanced diet and healthy life. And we know that the most vulnerable among us suffer more – our children, seniors, and people with a low income. Food Insecurity needs to be a focus for Healthy State because:
• Over 680,000 people in Louisiana are food insecure.
• Louisiana is ranks 2nd for child poverty with over 234,00 food insecure children.
• Louisiana ranks 1st in the nation for senior hunger.
• Louisiana is in the top 5 states with the highest per capita health care costs associated with food insecurity.
• Almost 30% of college students experience food insecurity
What Are the Impacts of Food Insecurity?
Food Insecurity has broad effects on health due to the mental and physical stress associated with hunger and the uncertainty and timing of a next meal. According to The American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease and overall mortality is higher in people who report food insecurity, and the CDC reported that food insecure people spend $1,834 more than food secure adults on health care. Children who experience food insecurity, research shows an increased risks of “some birth defects, anemia, lower nutrient intakes, cognitive problems, and aggression and anxiety”, while seniors who participate in SNAP are less likely to enter a nursing home or be hospitalized. Finally, research has shown that the total health care costs in the nation related to food insecurity to be about $160 billion.
While food security may be “long term or temporary” for a specific individual or household, food insecurity in Louisiana is cyclical and directly linked to social determinants of health. AHR reports that food insecurity is higher among Black and Hispanic households, lower-income households, families with children, and single-family households.
Sources:
Explore Food Insecurity in Louisiana | AHR (americashealthrankings.org)
Hunger in Louisiana | How Food Insecurity Affects Our Community — Feeding Louisiana
LBP Census 2021 (Released 2022) (labudget.org)
Louisiana | Feeding America
Hunger in Louisiana | How Food Insecurity Affects Our Community — Feeding Louisiana
State-Level and County-Level Estimates of Health Care Costs Associated with Food Insecurity (cdc.gov)
Hunger-Free Campus Designations Expand Across Louisiana – Louisiana Board of Regents (laregents.edu)
Food Insecurity Is Associated With Cardiovascular and All‐Cause Mortality Among Adults in the United States | Journal of the American Heart Association (ahajournals.org)
State-Level and County-Level Estimates of Health Care Costs Associated with Food Insecurity (cdc.gov)
Food Insecurity And Health Outcomes | Health Affairs
Links of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program With Food Insecurity, Poverty, and Health: Evidence and Potential - PMC (nih.gov)
HR2016-Full-Report-Web.pdf (hungerreport.org)
Food Insecurity - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov
Explore Food Insecurity in Louisiana | AHR (americashealthrankings.org)
