"When I go to bed hungry and sleep, I'm not hungry": Children and parents' experiences of food insecurity

Appetite
Kate Harvey

Abstract

Evidence demonstrates food insecurity has a detrimental impact on a range of outcomes for children, but little research has been conducted in the UK, and children have rarely been asked to describe their experiences directly. We examined the experiences of food insecure families living in South London. Our mixed-methods approach comprised a survey of parents (n = 72) and one-to-one semi-structured interviews with children aged 5-11 years (n = 19). The majority of parents (86%) described their food security during the preceding year as very low. Most reported they had often or sometimes had insufficient food, and almost all had worried about running out of food. Two thirds of parents had gone hungry. Most parents reported they had been unable to afford a nutritionally balanced diet for their children, and just under half reported that their children had gone hungry. Four themes emerged from the interviews with children: sources of food; security of food, nutritional quality of food, and experiences of hunger. Children's descriptions of insufficient food being available indicate that parents are not always able to shield them from the impact of food insecurity. The lack of school-meals and after-school clubs serving food made wee...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1994·Nutrition and Health·S StittD Grant
Feb 1, 2002·Social Science & Medicine·Anne-Marie HamelinJean-Pierre Habicht
May 10, 2002·Social Science & Medicine·Naomi Dachner, Valerie Tarasuk
Oct 3, 2002·Pediatrics·Linda WeinrebCraig Gundersen
Jul 10, 2003·Journal of Public Health Medicine·Richard S TingayMartin C Gulliford
Jan 5, 2005·Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine·Patrick H CaseyPippa M Simpson
Jun 17, 2006·Social Science & Medicine·Lise DuboisMarion Porcherie
Oct 3, 2008·Pediatrics·Emily FeinbergNicole Prudent
May 1, 2010·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·Natalie SlopenStephen E Gilman
Aug 19, 2010·American Journal of Epidemiology·Daniel W BelskyAvshalom Caspi
Apr 29, 2011·The Journal of Nutrition·Maryah Stella FramChristine E Blake
Dec 27, 2011·Journal of Child Health Care : for Professionals Working with Children in the Hospital and Community·Rebecca RamseyDanielle Gallegos
May 17, 2012·International Journal for Equity in Health·Wesley R DeanJulie St John
Jul 10, 2012·Appetite·Agnieszka JaworowskaIan G Davies
Apr 18, 2013·Nutrition Reviews·Agnieszka JaworowskaLeonard Stevenson
Dec 4, 2014·International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics : the Official Organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
Jun 23, 2015·Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy· U S Department Of Health And Human Services

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Mar 9, 2019·Health & Social Care in the Community·Rebecca LindbergSue Kleve
Jul 19, 2017·Maternal and Child Health Journal·Meg BrueningStephanie Brennhofer
Dec 26, 2018·British Food Journal·Maddy PowerKate E Pickett
Oct 17, 2020·Current Obesity Reports·June M TesterCindy W Leung
Dec 9, 2020·International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being·Sara Estecha QuerolMark Gabbay
May 1, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Stefania VelardoSue Booth
Jul 4, 2021·Appetite·Michał FolwarcznyTobias Otterbring
Dec 23, 2021·Ecology of Food and Nutrition·Maria-Raquel G SilvaCristina Padez

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.