How Is The Problem Of 18 million US Children At Risk Of Hunger Being Addressed And What More Can Be Done?
The economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic has increased the number of Americans who can’t always get enough to eat, including children. The Conversation U.S. asked four experts to explain how common child hunger is and what’s being done to address it.
1. How big a problem is child hunger in the US?
Heather Eicher-Miller, associate professor of nutrition science at Purdue University: Hunger has two very different meanings. It can describe that uncomfortable feeling you get after not eating in a while. It’s also a long-term physical state.
Heather Eicher-Miller.
Purdue University, CC BY-SA
People who experience long-term hunger aren’t just uncomfortable. They can feel weakness or pain and run an elevated risk of illnesses, including asthma, iron-deficiency anemia and poor...