banner

Child Hunger

*Under Development*

How many children in Canada go hungry?
Tough to say.
Food insecurity and hunger have been directly measured in Canada several times but we still don’t have consistent or long-term measurement. Less severe forms of dietary compromises such as not having the money to afford nutritious foods or having to cut back on the amount of food are much more common than actual hunger among Canada’s children.

The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth found the following child hunger stats:
0.8% among children aged 2-5 (2002/03)
1.6% among children aged 13 and under (1996)
5.0% among teens aged 16-17 (2002/03)


line

Resources
Canadian Association of Food Banks (2004). Hunger Count 2004. Poverty in a Land of Plenty: Towards a Hunger-Free Canada.  Available from http://cafb-acba.ca/documents/hungercount04-eng.pdf.

Casey, P.H., Szeto, K.L., Robbins, J.M., Stuff, J.E., Connell, C., Gossett, J.M. & Simpson, P.M. (2005). Child health-related quality of life and household food security. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. Vol. 159(1):51-6.

Cheal, D., Dooley, M.D., Kelly, M., Landy, S., Lipman, E.R., McIntyre, L., et al. (1997). Canadian children in the 1990s: Selected findings of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Canadian Social Trends. Vol.44: 2-10.

Chinook Kids Food Security Coalition (2004). Food Security Issues for Preschool Children in Southern Alberta: A Regional Assessment. Available from http://www.foodsecurityalberta.ca/library/CHR%200-5%20FS%20Assessment.pdf.

Cook, J.T., Frank, D.A., Berkowitz, C., Black, M.M., Casey, P.H., Cutts, D.B., et al. (2004). Food insecurity is associated with adverse health outcomes among human infants and toddlers. J. Nutr. Vol.134(6): 1432-38.

Daily Bread Food Bank (2006). Who’s Hungry 2006. http://www.dailybread.ca/upload/DBFB_WH_2006%20COMPLETE.pdf

Hamelin, A.M., Habicht, J.P. & Beaudry, M. (1999). Food insecurity: Consequences for the household and broader social implications. J. Nutr. Vol. 129: 525S-528S.

Jyoti, D.F., Frongillo, E.A. & Jones, S.J. (2005). Food insecurity affects school children's academic performance, weight gain, and social skills. J. Nutr. Dec., Vol.135(12):2831-9.

Kleinman, R.E., Murphy, J.M., Little, M., Pagano, M., Wehler, C.A., Regal, K., & Jellinek, M.S. (1998). Hunger in children in the United States: Potential behavioral and emotional correlates. Pediatrics Vol. 101(1): E3.
     
Ledrou, I. & Gervais, J. (2005). Food Insecurity. Statistics Canada Health Reports. Vol. 16(3):47-51.

McIntyre, L., Connor, S.K. & Warren, J. (2000). Child hunger in Canada: Results of the 1994 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Canadian Medical Association Journal. Vol. 163(8): 961-5.

McIntyre, L., Glanville, N.T., Officer, S., Anderson, B., Raine, K.D. & Dayle, J.B. (2002). Food insecurity of low-income lone mothers and their children in Atlantic Canada. Canadian J. Public Health. Vol. 93: 411-415.

McIntyre, L., Walsh, G. & Connor, S.K. (2001). A Follow-up Study of Child Hunger in Canada. Applied Research Branch, Strategic Policy, Human Resources Development Canada. Available from http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/cs/sp/sdc/pkrf/publications/research/2001-000172/page00.shtml

Northern Ontario Perinatal and Child Health Survey Consortium (2003). Determinants of Child Health in Northern Ontario. A Perinatal and Child Health Survey Strategies Initiative. Available from http://www.tbdhu.com/reports/Nopchs/Determinants%20of%20Child%20Health%20Exec%20Summ.pdf.

Power, E. (2005) Individual and Household Food Insecurity in Canada: Position of Dietitians of Canada. Available from http://www.dietitians.ca/news/downloads/Food_Insecurity_position.pdf.

Reid, L.L. (2000). The Consequences of Food Insecurity for Child Well-Being: An Analysis of Children's School Achievement, Psychological Well-Being, and Health. JCPR Working Paper #137. Chicago, IL: Joint Center for Poverty Research, Northwestern University/ University of Chicago.

Rose, D. & Oliveira, V. (1997). Nutrient intakes of individuals from food-insufficient households in the United States. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 87(12): 1956-1961.

Skalicky, A.M., Frank, D.A., Meyers, A.F., Adams, W.G., & Cook, J.T. (2001). Is food security associated with iron deficiency? Paper presented in poster symposium on nutritional issues in underserved populations (abstract #2668), Pediatric Academic Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD. Retrieved April 7, 2005 from http://www.abstracts2view.com/pasall/view.php?nu=PAS1L_1895.

Statistics Canada (2001). The Daily (August 15, 2001). Food Insecurity in Canadian Households. Available from http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/010815/d010815a.htm.

Statistics Canada (2005a). The Daily (May 3, 2005). Study: Food Insecurity in Canadian Households. Available from http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050503/d050503b.htm.

Stormer, A. & Harrison, G.G. (2003). Does Household Food Security Affect Cognitive and Social Development of Kindergartners? Institute for Research on Poverty: Discussion Paper No. 1276-03. Madison, WI. Retrieved September 12, 2005 from http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp127603.pdf.

Tarasuk, V. (2001). Household food insecurity with hunger is associated with women's food intakes, health and household circumstances. J. Nutr. Vol. 131(10): 2670-71.

Tarasuk, V. (2004). Health implications of food insecurity. In D. Raphael (Ed.) (2004), Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives (Chapter 13). Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc.

Tarasuk, V. S., Beaton, G. H., Geduld, J., & Hilditch, S. (1998). Nutritional Vulnerability and Food Insecurity among Women in Families using Food Banks. National Health Research and Development Program project report no. 6606-5609-201.

Toronto Public Health (2004). Toronto Perinatal and Child Health Survey Report.

Toronto Public Health (2006). Food Security: Implications for the Early Years - Background Paper. Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Public Health.  

Wehler, C., Weinreb, L.F., Huntington, N., Scott, R., Hosmer, D., Fletcher, K., et al. (2004). Risk and protective factors for adult and child hunger among low-income housed and homeless female-headed families. The American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 94(1): 109-115.

Weinreb, L., Wehler, C., Perloff, J., Scott, R., Hosmer, D., Sagor, L. & Gundersen, C. (2002). Hunger: Its impact on children's health and mental health. Pediatrics. Vol. 110(4): 816-7.

*back to top*