Real World Problems Real World Solutions A Social
Real World Problems. Real World Solutions. A Social Change Challenge: Water is Toxic, and Food is Scarce. What Will We Do? A Virtual, Interdisciplinary Conference Series to Support Walden Scholar Practitioners in Their Collaboration for Positive Social Change Friday, March 8, 2019
Raising Awareness on Food Insecurity: An Interdisciplinary Approach Through Higher Education Debra E. Thrower, MSW, is a Doctoral Candidate in Social Work at Walden University. Debra has 27 years of extensive social work experience. She has co-authored a book chapter on community involvement of a health promotion program. As an undergraduate social work instructor, Debra collaborates with stakeholders to educate students on food insecurity. Debra also coordinates social work field placements/internships for interventions with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations for social change. Her broad research interests are ethics education in undergraduate social work practice courses. Laura Kihlstrom, MSc, is a Doctoral Candidate in Cultural Anthropology and an MPH student in Maternal and Child Health at the University of South Florida. Before beginning her studies in the U. S. , Laura worked in a rural development project in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. A native of Finland, she has co-authored a book on global food security and has published widely in Finnish print and online media on the topics of food, development, and equity. Her broad interests are social inequalities and social justice in the food system. IN SE RT PH OT O OF PR ES EN TE
Raising Awareness on Food Insecurity: An Interdisciplinary Approach Through Higher Education • Food is one of the most basic needs of humans. Although the U. S. is the wealthiest nation in the world, on average 1 in 8 of its citizens experience food insecurity (Coleman-Jensen et al 2017). • Food insecurity is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes (Chilton et al 2017; Maynard et al 2017; Howard, 2011; Kaur et al 2015) • The cost of food insecurity/hunger at least $167. 5 billion due to the combination of lost economic productivity per year, more expensive public education because of the rising costs of poor education outcomes, avoidable health care costs, cost of charity to keep families fed (Shepard et al 2011) • Solving this issue requires an interdisciplinary approach grounded in social justice, as food insecurity disproportionately affects marginalized communities
Raising Awareness on Food Insecurity: An Interdisciplinary Approach Through Higher Education • Systemic causes for high prevalence of food insecurity among marginalized communities include: systemic racism from slavery to Jim Crow to contemporary times • Minority populations, particularly African-American households, have been systematically deprived of resources such as land, education, and housing, which has led to the wealth gap and food environment we see today
Raising Awareness on Food Insecurity: An Interdisciplinary Approach Through Higher Education Promote awareness of food insecurity in high-risk communities Educate K-12 students and their families Continue to involve researchers & college students entering field practice Promote awareness through conferences to address food insecurity in the U. S. • Advocate for measures which are known to alleviate food insecurity: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Medicaid, Federal Housing Subsidies, Energy Assistance • •
Questions, Comments, Discussion
References Chilton, M. , Knowles, M. , & Bloom, S. L. (2016). The intergenerational circumstances of household food insecurity and adversity. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 0248(May), 1– 29. https: //doi. org/10. 1080/19320248. 2016. 1146195 Coleman-Jensen, A. , Rabbitt, M. P. , Gregory, C. A. , & Singh, A. (2018). Household Food Security in the United States in 2017. Retrieved from www. ers. usda. gov Cook, J. , & Poblacio, A. (2016). Estimating the Health-Related Costs of Food Insecurity and Hunger Exhibit 1 Number and percent of people living in food-insecure households in the. Washington, D. C. Retrieved from http: //www. bread. org/sites/default/files/downloads/cost_of_hunger_study. pdf Howard, L. L. (2011). Does food insecurity at home affect non-cognitive performance at school? A longitudinal analysis of elementary student classroom behavior. Economics of Education Review, 30(1), 157– 176. https: //doi. org/10. 1016/J. ECONEDUREV. 2010. 08. 003 Kaur, J. , Lamb, M. M. , & Ogden, C. L. (2015). The Association between Food Insecurity and Obesity in Children—The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(5), 751– 758. https: //doi. org/10. 1016/j. jand. 2015. 01. 003 Maynard, M. , Andrade, L. , Packull-Mc. Cormick, S. , Perlman, C. , Leos-Toro, C. , Kirkpatrick, S. , … Kirkpatrick, S. I. (2018). Food Insecurity and Mental Health among Females in High-Income Countries. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(7), 1424. https: //doi. org/10. 3390/ijerph 15071424
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