o Uneasy or painful sensation caused by lack of food recurrent and involuntary Malnutrition and Nutrition Policy Hunger lack of access to food Malnutrition Food insecurity Food security o Failure to achieve nutrient requirements o Limited or uncertain availability of nutrients food o Assess to have enough food Malnutrition in the US Groups at Risk Working poor o May or may not qualify for food assistance Isolated Elders Homeless Children o Lack access to food resources o Economic difficulties o Physical ailments o Lack consistent cooking facilities o Limited income if any o Dependent on family circumstances single parents family income o Hunger affects school performance Attacking hunger in America The Food Stamp program o Extends food buying power Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children WIC o Food nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women and children up to age 5 National School Lunch Program and Breakfast Program o Free and reduced price meals Child and Adult Care Food Program o Funds meals for nonprofit child care and adult centers and programs Factors that contribute to hunger and malnutrition Environmental degradation o Reduced food production o Food water safety concerns Socio demographic factors o Poverty o Population growth o Urbanization o Inequitable food distribution Political natural disruptions o War and Refugees o Sanctions o Most common cause of preventable brain damage and impaired psychomotor o Infections Disease o Natural disasters Major Deficiencies Protein Energy Malnutrition o Kwashiorkor and Marasmus Iodine deficiency disorders development Vitamin A deficiency o Leading cause of preventable blindness Iron deficiency anemia o Most pervasive nutritional deficiency o Limits productivity of population Addressing World Hunger Malnutrition and Food Insecurity World Food Program o United Nations branch o Largest humanitarian organization dedicated to fight malnutrition o Respond to emergencies o Help prevent hunger through programs that use food as a means to build assets spread knowledge and nurture communities Community government and nonprofit programs are key in sustaining proper nutrition and food resources Inequitable Food Distribution Advances in agriculture have increased food production worldwide Enough calories are now produced to supply the energy needs of every person on earth o But distribution of these calories is uneven o among the continents among nations within nations and even within families In some societies older boys will have second priority pregnant and breastfeeding women women in general and small children will have the lowest priority Nations may follow a similar pattern ensuring that their soldiers or men of fighting age receive scarce foodstuffs Hungry and Homeless A major public health concern for homeless people is not only whether they are getting enough to eat but also the nutritional quality of their diet This concern in complicated by the special needs of infants children and women especially pregnant women Hunger and malnutrition continue to be problems in both industrialized and developing countries In the U S malnutrition is a serious problem among the working poor the rural poor the homeless elders and children Programs likes Food Stamps WIC The National School Program and Child Adult Care Food Programs are federally funded programs to fight hunger in the U S Advances in agricultural practices have increased food supplies and reduced food costs in the developing world however the increase in production has lead to environmental degradation as a result of urbanization clear cutting over irrigation and soil erosion Most common malnutrition problems in the developing world include