Introduction
Sustained huger and food insecurity are harmful to all individuals, but hunger is primarily disruptive to children. Good nutrition is of the utmost importance to a child’s growth and wellbeing. Not having enough of the right kinds of food can have serious consequences for a child’s physical and mental health, educational accomplishments and future economic success. One in five kids is facing difficulties in achieving his or her full potential. Hunger among children in America is due to prevailing states of poverty, rather than the availability of food itself (DoSomething.org). Income inequality and the continued marginalization of disadvantaged population segments are the main drivers behind poverty prevalence. Economic inequality, as well as political and social marginalization exist because certain population segments have established systematic institutions that establish and maintain economic privilege.
In the United States today, there are 15 million children facing hunger. Each year since 2008, the total amount of hungry or food insecure people in the United States has remained between 48 and 50 million. Hunger leads to reduced well-being, and reduced well-being adds to hunger and food insecurity, particularly for people who must pick between paying for food or medication. In the United States, the effects of hunger on health are not as visually intense and hear wrenching (we do not see emaciated people in this country) as they are in other developing countries. Hunger and the food insecurity amongst the poor in this country is nevertheless prevalent, real and detrimental to one’s health, due to the steady diets of inexpensive, artificial, junk foods rather than real nutrition loaded with vitamins and nutrients to promote a healthy body.
Individuals that grow up disadvantaged, will obviously have different life experiences than individuals that have grown up in higher-income households: preschool for the disadvantaged is usually not an option, they are left with stressed out parents who are focused on trying to earn enough money to keep a roof over their children’s heads. Unfortunately in some cases the children end up competing for whatever food there is in the house. These children windup frequently hungry and they end up relying on the free school meal programs for children from low-income families for most of their vitamins and nutrients (Eisinger, 64-65). Children who grow up disadvantaged, in a food insecure home are exposed to stress that contributes to early onset of chronic diseases. Stress also makes children more susceptible to depression and thoughts of suicide, drug abuse, and dropping out of school and, as a result, restricted employment opportunities in adulthood. They are at a higher risk of becoming disabled at an early age, due to the likelihood that their occupation requires more manual labor than the work of somebody with a higher education.
The food insecurity that children experience early in life makes them more prone to becoming overweight and quite possibly obese. With inadequate healthcare options as an adolescent, their parents rarely spent money on routine checkups to help diagnose and treat these troublesome issues earlier on. By the time these children reach their senior years, they may have developed multiple chronic conditions that are expensive to treat. The question here is why are some children disadvantaged over others? If poverty is the cause of hunger among American children, rather than the availability of food, should parents who earn poverty level wages not be able to obtain enough food from outside sources in order to ensure their children do not go hungry?
Argument
The reality is that even though there is not a shortage of food in the United States, those who find themselves living in poverty do not have the supportive resources to gain access to that food supply. Statistics reveal that a staggering 49 million Americans face obstacles when it comes to being able to feed themselves and their families (DoSomething.org). As of 2014, research data collected on households living in poverty revealed that 46.7 million people in the United States were officially in poverty (Feeding America). The number of people living in poverty nearly corresponds with the amount of Americans that have problems gaining access to enough food. This cannot be a coincidence. If the number of individuals who are living in poverty is nearly congruent with the amount of people who do not have access to enough food, there is evidence of a relationship. Furthermore, the research demonstrates that a lack of outside resources exists. Twenty million plus children are the recipients of free and reduced school lunches, but less than half of these children receive breakfast on a daily basis. In addition, only ten percent of those children are able to gain access to free and reduced meals during the summer (DoSomething.org).
While this evidence points to the fact that there is relationship between poverty and barriers to gaining access to an adequate food supply, it does not explain why poverty exists. The truth is that although most Americans are aware that an income inequality problem exists, most Americans do not support what is known as wealth redistribution (Matthews). Wealth redistribution essentially involves funneling money from the economically privileged to those who are disadvantaged. Social programs, including social security and the tax system, have the potential to redistribute wealth on a grander scale. Yet, these programs do currently redistribute wealth to some degree. The problem is that these programs exist within a system that is largely controlled by those who already hold a position of privilege. Those who currently hold positions of economic privilege are less likely to want to erode that position, and more likely to establish rules within the system that favor the privileged perspective. A prime example is the business owner or CEO who ensures that his or her own wage continues to be substantial in the face of competitive market pressures, while simultaneously eliminating line jobs, and reducing entry-level wages and benefits.
Economic inequality is a way by which various population segments become marginalized by society, but economic inequality is often intertwined with other forms of marginalization. For instance, housing discrimination is a blatant way of marginalizing population segments based on income and race. Even though outright discrimination is illegal in the United States, a tour of most metropolitan areas in the country will reveal residential segregation. This segregation occurs since Caucasians have a history of moving out of the inner cities and into suburbs, but it also occurs due to income inequality. Housing prices in certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles, for example, drive out population segments that do not have access to enough income to afford housing at those price points. Many of those who live in poverty are employed (Feeding America), but employment does not necessarily equal adequate or comfortable income. Employment discrimination, however subtle, is known to occur within the United States. Multiple forms of systemic discrimination and marginalization contribute to the income inequality and poverty problem within the United States. It is not only access to food, but also access to life sustaining resources as a whole, that enable the excess distribution of available resources to the privileged elite.
Opposing Argument
There are those who are of the opinion that poverty exists as a result of an individual’s lack of willingness to advance him or herself. It is not systemic forces of marginalization at work, but rather the individual who does not take advantage of the resources society has to offer. For instance, an individual who chooses not to pursue a college education is setting him or herself up for a lifetime of fewer earnings, on average. The problem with this viewpoint is that it does not take into account the fact that those who are already disadvantaged struggle to gain access to enough financial resources to pursue a college education. In addition, a lifetime of economic disadvantage can predisposition an individual to less support, prejudice, and increased stress that contributes to poor performance. A substandard academic record can in turn limit one’s college prospects, even if access to adequate financial resources can eventually be obtained. Likewise, there is the notion that poverty does not prevent access to adequate food since social programs such as food stamps and Women, Infants & Children (WIC ) exist. In addition, there are plenty of food choices that are inexpensive. What individuals who take this stance fail to realize is that the income guidelines for social assistance programs are quite restrictive and that inexpensive food items are rarely nutritious.
Conclusion
Poverty is indeed the main driver behind hunger in children. Families and households that are unable to earn adequate income simply do not have the resources and support to gain access to the nutrition they need. Those living in poverty find themselves in this situation because of marginalization, which perpetuates rising income inequality in the United States. Healthcare providers have begun to involve communal partners on policies to improve access to health foods in low income/disadvantaged communities. Plans include effective food pantries at health centers and funding home delivered meals for seniors and homebound patients. Another important area that needs to be addressed is the educating of consumers about healthy food choices. Among underserved populations, education is an effective way to reduce the problem of chronic disease. Moderate enhancements in dietary quality in these particular communities could have a significant impact on reducing the number of individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases (McGovern 77-91). Although the problem of poverty prevalence is complex, it will take willingness on the part of those in positions of privilege to reexamine the values and beliefs that help poverty prevail. An overhaul of systemic discrimination, marginalization and income inequality is necessary to end hunger among children and families in the United States.
Works Cited
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Eisinger, Peter K. Toward an End to Hunger in America. Washington: Brooking Institution,
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Matthews, Chris. “4 things you didn’t (but should) know about economic inequality.” Fortune.
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