Childhood food insecurity in the news
From local news to global conversations and groundbreaking research, health care is constantly evolving and highly covered in the media. Here, we share the latest news and trends – and how they drive our work to best serve our communities and members.
A new study links food insecurity in early life and pregnancy to higher rates of child obesity, increasing the risk of developing the condition by 50%. The study, which was led by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and published in JAMA Pediatrics, used nationwide data from 28,359 children in 55 groups from 1994 to 2023. The children in the study had their body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height and significant health indicator, tracked from birth to age 15.
Researchers found that the connection between food insecurity and obesity grew stronger as children aged and was most significant among children who lived in low-income, low-food-access neighborhoods both during early childhood and their mother’s pregnancy. The study defined low-food-access neighborhoods as those in which the nearest supermarket was more than a half-mile away in urban areas, or more than 10 miles away in rural regions.
These findings come at a time when both childhood obesity and food insecurity continue to rise – trends that Point32Health aims to address through a collaboration with Cambridge Health Alliance and Good Measures to pilot an innovative food prescription and nutrition coaching program to eligible members who are part of the Point32Health and Cambridge Health Alliance Accountable Care Organization (Tufts Health Together with CHA). The initiative is designed to support members who have or are at risk of a diet-related disease due to food insecurity. Point32Health also supports the weekly CHA Revere Mobile Market to provide those facing food insecurity with fresh produce, non-perishable items and blood pressure screenings.
Earlier this year, Point32Health was recognized during the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities event for pledging more than $1.5 million in grants to community organizations addressing food insecurity and expanded the company’s matching gift and volunteer time off programs. Nonprofit organizations working on this issue were expected to receive an additional $200,000 in new donations from employee and Foundation matching gifts as well as increased volunteer support.
Learn more about resources and organizations Point32Health collaborates with to fight food insecurity: