POOR DIET, EXACERBATED BY FOOD INSECURITY, IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND DISEASE & A KEY DRIVER OF ESCALATING HEALTH CARE COSTS

In Massachusetts, food insecurity alone is associated with over $1.9 billion in avoidable medical expenses each year.

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How Does Food Insecurity Impact Health?

FRAC, Hunger & Health: The Impact of Poverty, Food Insecurity, and Poor Nutrition on Health and Well-being, Food Action Research Center, (2017).

  • Because of limited financial resources, those who are food insecure — with or without existing disease — may also use coping strategies to stretch budgets that are harmful for health.

  • Food insecurity, along with the health-compromising coping strategies associated with food insecurity, can exacerbate existing disease.

  • Not surprisingly, research shows that household food insecurity is a strong predictor of higher health care utilization and increased health care costs

  • Food insecurity can contribute to, or exacerbate, nutrition deficits, and that is linked to chronic diseases and conditions.

  • Americans from all income groups fall short of meeting federal dietary guidance — consuming diets too low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, and consuming diets too high in added sugars, sodium, and solid fats.

  • Food-insecure and low-income people can be especially vulnerable to poor nutrition and obesity, due to additional risk factors associated with inadequate household resources as well as under-resourced communities.