The Issue of Hunger

Hunger Free Communities

The following will look into ways of addressing hunger as an important public health issue. It will also consider programs like WIC and SNAP with the aim of ascertaining if these programs are public health interventions.

Hunger: A Public Health Problem?

Hunger is a major public health challenge, perhaps, the most prevalent public health problem plaguing the world today. The 193 United Nations member nations as well as 23 international bodies in 2000 said their major goal was to eradicate hunger and poverty totally by the year 2015 (O' Neal, 2012). During the 2012 summit where the progress of this goal was assessed, there was a reaffirmation of this goal. Despite this stated global commitment, hunger remains one problem most people ignore easily, especially in the United States.

In the U.S. (O' Neal, 2012):

Nearly 49 million people, representing 1 out of every 6 people struggle with the problem of hunger.

Over 17 million families are faced with the problem of hunger

In 2011, 59.2% (10,064,000) of households who suffer food scarcity took part in at least one out of the 3 major Federal food support programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-formerly food stamp program), The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Over 37 million people benefit from the annual feeding America program-up to about 46% from 2006.

The food banks of Feeding America now feed about 1 million more people per week than they fed in 2006.

CDC -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have started recognizing hunger as a major public health issue. They featured Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week in the year 2010 on their official website (O'Neal, 2012). Though the website highlighted the impacts hunger has on the homeless population, and provided relevant information on homelessness in the United States, it did little or nothing to address the issue of hunger for families and the working population.

Nutrition Assistance Programs As Interventions

The "Special Supplemental Nutrition Program" for "Women, Infants and Children" (WIC) provides education related to breastfeeding and nutrition and also provides referrals and a wide array of adequately nutritious meals to low-waged women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or perhaps postpartum women, infants as well as children up-to five years of age with the aim or promoting and supporting good health (WIC Program-Women, Infants, Children). WIC works towards the health of pregnant women, young mothers as well as their infants and children. The foods made available through WIC are always good sources of important nutrients that are often missing in women and children's diet.

Women and children who take part in WIC have much healthier and longer pregnancies. They also have lesser number of premature births. Millions of qualified, low-income persons and families are offered good nutritional assistance by SNAP. This in turn provides lots of economic benefits to the communities (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- Food and Nutrition Service). In the domestic safety hunger net, SNAP remains the largest program. The Food and Nutrition Agency works in conjunction with the authorized State Agencies, nutrition educators, faith-based organizations, and neighboring societies. This collaboration ensures that all those who qualify for this nutrition assistance are aided to make important decisions and help them apply to the programs to access the aids. FNS equally works with State partners as well as the retail community services to improve the administration of programs and make sure the integrity of the program is sustained.

SNAP -- The United States Department of Agriculture is looking for innovative ways to improve its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This improvement will make it easier for participants to easily access fresh farm produce by increasing the number of markets where farmers operate and direct-selling farmers who have been authorized to accept the benefits SNAP offers. Farmers markets were structured to rely solely on nonprofit organizations, private foundations, and local governments to establish incentive programs for the participants of the nutrition assistance program.