Food insecurity and health across the lifespan

Abstract

Our symposium entitled, "Food Insecurity and Health across the Lifespan" explored the latest research from the economic, medical, pediatric, geriatric, and nutrition literature concerning the measurement, prevalence, predictors, and consequences of food insecurity across the lifespan, with a focus on chronic disease, chronic disease management, and healthcare costs. Consideration of the health impacts of food insecurity is a new and timely area of research, with a considerable potential for translation of the findings into public policy surrounding alleviation of food insecurity. Although it is widely acknowledged that food insecurity and hunger are morally unacceptable, strategies to develop national policies to alleviate hunger must also approach this problem by considering the economic impact of food insecurity on health and well-being. The goals of this symposium were to: 1) learn about the prevalence and severity of food insecurity in the US across the lifespan and how this is increasing with the continued economic downturn; 2) understand the growing body of research that documents the impact of varying degrees of food insecurity on physical and mental health across the lifespan; 3) examine how food insecurity is related to chronic disease; and 4) explore research methodology to determine the impact of food insecurity on healthcare costs and utilization. Our symposium provided new and novel understandings and research initiatives directed toward alleviating food insecurity in America. © 2012 American Society for Nutrition.