The Consequences of Insufficient Household Income

• For children, lack of sufficient food can cause developmental delays and lack of nutritious food
can cause health problems, all of which can impact learning in the longer term.
• For seniors, lack of sufficient and nutritious food can accelerate declines in health and cognitive
function and exacerbate chronic diseases.
• For working-age adults, lack of sufficient and nutritious food can lead to development of
chronic diseases (such as diabetes and heart disease) and contribute to mental health issues
(such as depression). Food insecure adults in the workforce may be less productive and have
higher rates of absenteeism.
• Food insecurity and obesity are linked: Though hunger can cause people to be
undernourished and underweight, it can also result in people being undernourished and
overweight. Obesity and its associated chronic health problems are increasing for all income
groups, but it is not surprising
that low-income families with
less money to buy healthy
food are even more likely to be
obese. For ALICE and povertylevel
families, the stress of food
insecurity and other financial
pressures can also contribute to
weight gain. In addition,
The biggest struggle for Rebecca,
a single mother from Connecticut,
is finding enough money to feed
her family healthy food. Rebecca
works full time while pursuing a
master’s degree. After she pays all
her bills – rent, child care, student
loans, medical bills, car payments,
and utilities – she has little left for food, clothes, and incidentals. Fresh, healthy fruits
and vegetables are not cheap and are the first thing to go. Although she knows how
important it is to feed her kids healthy food, she ends up choosing cheap, less healthy,
but filling food. “My son is now overweight, and I think that it is because I can’t afford
to buy healthy food,” she says. “If you could see a picture of him three years ago,
when finances were not an issue for me, versus now, he’s gained 14 lbs. in one year.
I feel like I’ve let him down as a mother. It’s my responsibility to teach him healthy
eating habits.”
Photo courtesy of United Way
UNITED WAY ALICE REPORT – THE CONSEQUENCES OF INSUFFICIENT HOUSEHOLD INCOME
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