Affecting more than 800 million people, food insecurity is a global problem that runs deeper than hunger and undernutrition. In addition to the obvious impact on physical well-being, food insecurity can result in risky coping strategies, increased expenditures on medical costs or transportation, and mental health issues. A review of the concepts an

The United States is viewed by the world as a country with plenty of food, yet not all households in America are food secure, meaning access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. A proportion of the population experiences food insecurity at some time in a given year because of food deprivation and lack of access to food due to economic resource constraints. Still, food insecurity in the United States is not of the same intensity as in some developing countries. Since 1995 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has annually published statistics on the extent of food insecurity and food insecurity with hunger in U.S. households. These estimates are based on a survey measure developed by the U.S. Food Security Measurement Project, an ongoing collaboration among federal agencies, academic researchers, and private organizations. USDA requested the Committee on National Statistics of the National Academies to convene a panel of experts to undertake a two-year study in two phases to review at this 10-year mark the concepts and methodology for measuring food insecurity and hunger and the uses of the measure. In Phase 2 of the study the panel was to consider in more depth the issues raised in Phase 1 relating to the concepts and methods used to measure food security and make recommendations as appropriate. The Committee on National Statistics appointed a panel of 10 experts to examine the above issues. In order to provide timely guidance to USDA, the panel issued an interim Phase 1 report, Measuring Food Insecurity and Hunger: Phase 1 Report. That report presented the panel's preliminary assessments of the food security concepts and definitions; the appropriateness of identifying hunger as a severe range of food insecurity in such a survey-based measurement method; questions for measuring these concepts; and the appropriateness of a household survey for regularly monitoring food security in the U.S. population. It provided interim guidance for the continued production of the food security estimates. This final report primarily focuses on the Phase 2 charge. The major findings and conclusions based on the panel's review and deliberations are summarized.

With U.S. health care costs projected to grow at an average rate of 5.5 percent per year from 2018 to 2027, or 0.8 percentage points faster than the gross domestic product, and reach nearly $6.0 trillion per year by 2027, policy makers and a wide range of stakeholders are searching for plausible actions the nation can take to slow this rise and keep health expenditures from consuming an ever greater portion of U.S. economic output. While health care services are essential to heath, there is growing recognition that social determinants of health are important influences on population health. Supporting this idea are estimates that while health care accounts for some 10 to 20 percent of the determinants of health, socioeconomic factors and factors related to the physical environment are estimated to account for up to 50 percent of the determinants of health. Challenges related to the social determinants of health at the individual level include housing insecurity and poor housing quality, food insecurity, limitations in access to transportation, and lack of social support. These social needs affect access to care and health care utilization as well as health outcomes. Health care systems have begun exploring ways to address non-medical, health-related social needs as a way to reduce health care costs. To explore the potential effect of addressing non-medical health-related social needs on improving population health and reducing health care spending in a value-driven health care delivery system, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine held a full-day public workshop titled Investing in Interventions that Address Non-Medical, Health-Related Social Needs on April 26, 2019, in Washington, DC. The objectives of the workshop were to explore effective practices and the supporting evidence base for addressing the non-medical health-related social needs of individuals, such as housing and food insecurities; review assessments of return on investment (ROI) for payers, healthy systems, and communities; and identify gaps and opportunities for research and steps that could help to further the understanding of the ROI on addressing non-medical health-related social needs. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

This foundational textbook provides a thorough understanding of the role of nutrition in public health in communities around the world. Nutrition is a fundamental building block for optimal health. In this essential textbook, Jessica Jones-Smith presents readers with a balanced introduction to the field of public health nutrition. Examining common nutrition-related problems in both high- and low-income countries, Jones-Smith allows students to draw connections between the principles and realities of public health nutrition. She also describes the fundamental tools of public health nutrition, from nutrition assessment to program monitoring and evaluation, as well as current and future solutions for public health nutrition's most pressing issues. Covering fundamental topics while helping students build the knowledge and skills foundational to public health nutrition research and practice, the book addresses • nutrition surveillance • dietary assessment methods • program planning and program evaluation • environmental and underlying determinants of nutrition-related diseases in high-, middle-, and low-income countries • monitoring and evaluation in nutrition programs • nutrition epidemiology • community health assessment • nutrition-related policies and programs, with a particular focus on WIC in the United States and cash transfer programs in low- and middle-income countries • leading causes of disease and death • obesity • stunting • nutrition transitions The text also provides a much-needed resource for established researchers and practitioners of public health nutrition. Each chapter is authored by preeminent experts in the field, and the book includes aids for classroom learning, including case studies, learning objectives, and review questions. A rigorous introduction to foundational knowledge, Public Health Nutrition concludes with a discussion of current and future solutions for pressing health issues. Contributors: Jeanne Barcelona, Alexandra L. Bellows, Sara Bleich, Melissa Chapnick, Damien de Walque, Rachael Dombrowski, Jess Fanzo, Lia C.H. Fernald, Susan E. Filomena, Johannah Frelier, Valerie M. Friesen, Melissa Hidrobo, Paul Gertler, Lora Iannotti, Scott Ickes, Lindsay M. Jaacks, Jessica Jones-Smith, A. Gita Krishnaswamy, Noel Kulik, Mduduzi N.N. Mbuya, Kimberly Morland, Lynnette M. Neufeld, Vanessa Oddo, Cynthia Ogden, Colin Rehm, Scott Richardson, Sarah Ross-Viles, Marie Ruel, Julie Ruel-Bergeron, Garrison Spencer, Marie Spiker, Andrew Thorne-Lyman, Alison Tumilowicz, Kelsey Vercammen, Marissa Zwald

This volume explores the experience of hunger and food insecurity among college students at a large, public university in north Texas. Ninety-two clients of the campus food pantry volunteered to share their experiences through qualitative interviews, allowing the author to develop seven profiles of food insecurity, while at once exploring the impact of childhood food insecurity and various coping strategies. Students highlighted the issues of stigma and shame; the unwillingness to discuss food insecurity with their peers; the physical consequences of hunger and poor nutrition; the associations between mental health and nutrition; the academic sacrifices and motivations to finish their degree in the light of food insecurity; and the potential for raising awareness on campus through university engagement. Henry concludes the book with a discussion of solutions—existing solutions to alleviate food insecurity, student-led suggestions for additional resources, solutions in place at other universities that serve as potential models for similar campuses—and efforts to change federal policy.

In the United States, people living in low-income neighborhoods frequently do not have access to affordable healthy food venues, such as supermarkets. Instead, those living in "food deserts" must rely on convenience stores and small neighborhood stores that offer few, if any, healthy food choices, such as fruits and vegetables. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) convened a two-day workshop on January 26-27, 2009, to provide input into a Congressionally-mandated food deserts study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. The workshop, summarized in this volume, provided a forum in which to discuss the public health effects of food deserts.

A new introduction to public health's most elemental topic Food is baked in to most things that public health is and does. But for a field charged with carrying torches as divergent as anti-hunger and anti-obesity, it's unlikely, even impossible, to shape a unified approach to complex concepts like food environment, food access, or even nutrition. Food and Public Health offers a contextualized, accessible introduction to understanding the foundations (and contradictions) at the intersection of these two topics. It distills the historical, political, sociological, and scientific factors influencing what we eat and where our food comes from, then offers actionable insights for future nutritionists, social workers, dietitians, and researchers in public health. Guiding the reader through more than a century of food-focused regulation, policy, and education, Food and Public Health is an essential introduction to: · food production and availability on a global and neighborhood scale · dietary guidelines, agricultural subsidies, rationing, and other attempts by governments to shape their citizens' diets · best practices in health promotion and chronic disease prevention · food insecurity and its paradoxical role as driver of both hunger and obesity Enriched with real-world examples and case studies, Food and Public Health offers a crucial link between kitchen tables and populations for the classroom.

Food insecurity rates, which skyrocketed with the Great Recession, have yet to fall to pre-recession levels. Food pantries are stretched thin, and states are imposing new restrictions on programs like SNAP that are preventing people from getting crucial government assistance. At the same time, we see an increase in obesity that results from lack of access to healthy foods. The poor face a daily choice between paying bills and paying for food.

Globalization of the food supply has created conditions favorable for the emergence, reemergence, and spread of food-borne pathogens-compounding the challenge of anticipating, detecting, and effectively responding to food-borne threats to health. In the United States, food-borne agents affect 1 out of 6 individuals and cause approximately 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths each year. This figure likely represents just the tip of the iceberg, because it fails to account for the broad array of food-borne illnesses or for their wide-ranging repercussions for consumers, government, and the food industry-both domestically and internationally. A One Health approach to food safety may hold the promise of harnessing and integrating the expertise and resources from across the spectrum of multiple health domains including the human and veterinary medical and plant pathology communities with those of the wildlife and aquatic health and ecology communities. The IOM's Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop on December 13 and 14, 2011 that examined issues critical to the protection of the nation's food supply. The workshop explored existing knowledge and unanswered questions on the nature and extent of food-borne threats to health. Participants discussed the globalization of the U.S. food supply and the burden of illness associated with foodborne threats to health; considered the spectrum of food-borne threats as well as illustrative case studies; reviewed existing research, policies, and practices to prevent and mitigate foodborne threats; and, identified opportunities to reduce future threats to the nation's food supply through the use of a "One Health" approach to food safety. Improving Food Safety Through a One Health Approach: Workshop Summary covers the events of the workshop and explains the recommendations for future related workshops.