Research & Discoveries

Concurrent Water and Food Insecurity Doubled for US Children: Study

Between 2005 and 2020, simultaneous food and water insecurity among children grew from 4.6 percent to 10.3 percent in the United States.
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Concurrent Water and Food Insecurity Doubled for US Children: Study
(PaniYani/Shutterstock)
Amie Dahnke
6/7/2024
Updated:
6/7/2024
0:00

Simultaneous food and water insecurity more than doubled for American children between 2005 and 2020, increasing from 4.6 percent to 10.3 percent, according to a new study published in Nature Water on Friday.

“The increasing prevalence of US children experiencing concurrent [water insecurity] and [food insecurity] alongside observed racial/ethnic disparities is of major public health concern,” the research team wrote.

Researchers analyzed data from 18,252 children provided by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an assessment of health and nutrition. Food insecurity status was assigned based on responses to the survey, but water insecurity was measured by examining non-survey data.

Water insecurity was determined by evaluating whether children avoided using tap water. The research team’s previous studies found that tap water avoidance can offer insight into understanding water insecurity.

The authors could not pinpoint the reason for tap water avoidance. While low-income households tend to have a greater prevalence of tap water avoidance, water avoidance has also been reported in households with some of the highest incomes.

“Children who avoided tap water had significantly higher probability of experiencing household FI (food insecurity) ... than those who drank their tap water,” the authors wrote.

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“At all income levels except the very lowest, children were more likely to experience food insecurity when they did not drink tap water,” Asher Rosinger, associate professor of biobehavioral health and anthropology at Penn State and co-author of the study, said in a news release from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. “We saw the biggest effect for children in low-income and lower-middle income households, but even in households that earned incomes several times the national poverty level, children were more likely to face food insecurity if they did not drink tap water.”

The Consequences of Food and Water Insecurity

Without adequate access to food and water, children are at risk of many physical and mental health issues, the researchers said.

“Nearly one in 10 children were experiencing household food insecurity and avoiding their tap water by 2020, and we know that the COVID-19 pandemic only made food insecurity more pervasive,” Mr. Rosinger said. “That means millions of children in this country are facing potential negative consequences for their mental health, physical health and economic futures.”

Children who constantly think about food are often stressed or tired, which can disadvantage their learning and school readiness, according to the Center for the Study of Social Policy.
According to a 2021 study analyzing data from other investigations and reports, children who experience food insecurity often have a more difficult time learning. Food-insecure children often had worse cognitive outcomes than their peers, especially in vocabulary and letter-word recognition. Moreover, children who experienced food insecurity often had more behavior problems, including self-control. The reports found that “shorter and more transient forms of food insecurity were associated with increased externalizing behaviors, while more persistent food insecurity was associated with internalizing and self-control behavioral issues.”
Food and water insecurity are also associated with poorer physical development. Families and children who avoid tap water often turn to sugary drinks, which can increase the likelihood of childhood obesity and diabetes. Food-insecure children are at a higher risk of developing asthma and being iron-deficient. Additionally, children born into food- and water-insecure families are at risk of being born with a lower birth weight, setting them up for potential health issues later in life.

What Can Be Done?

The research team said that U.S. policymakers can take measures to address water and food security. Programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), which have been shown to reduce food insecurity, could be expanded. They also said states and local municipalities must begin rebuilding trust within their communities and ensure people know their water is safe to drink.

“Right now, many people in the U.S. equate the existence of water infrastructure with being water secure,” Northwestern University associate professor Sera Young, co-author of the study, said in the press release. “But piped water can be unaffordable, contaminated, dried up or otherwise not available. And let us not forget that there are millions of people in the U.S. living without piped water.”

Amie Dahnke is a freelance writer and editor residing in California. She has covered community journalism and health care news for nearly a decade, winning a California Newspaper Publishers Award for her work.
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