SD13 - Report of the Joint Subcommittee Studying Hunger and Malnutrition in the Commonwealth
Executive Summary: It is well known that large numbers of people were hungry in the 1960's and malnutrition was the natural result for many. America responded in a bipartisan fashion during the following years through the institution and expansion of programs such as food stamps, school lunch and breakfast programs. Hunger did diminish to a great extent, although it did not disappear altogether. In 1984, hunger had returned to America. The poor have always been thought of in terms of the "always poor" who have been struggling for years to support themselves. It is only now that we see the "new poor," those laid off from jobs they thought were secure, or forced out of work by illness or factory closings, who now must rely on government assistance for the first time. These people are young and old, men and women, children and the elderly, and come from both the cities and rural areas as well as some more affluent neighborhoods. Hunger is not only a problem of immigrants, minorities, deinstitutionalized people, and alcoholics. All available evidence indicates that hunger not only exists in virtually every city and rural area, but it is increasing at an alarming rate. Many studies have shown that chronic and acute malnutrition among children under six years of age is increasing and could number 500,000 in the United States at this time. Children and parents now tend to outnumber single people and alcoholics in many feeding programs. The re-emergence of hunger crept up almost unnoticed. Suddenly, in 1981, the number of bread lines and soup kitchens tripled and quadrupled throughout the Commonwealth. Most emergency food programs that we see today have come into existence since 1981. The USDA reports that most nationwide programs have seen a "dramatic increase in emergency food distributed from 1981 to 1982," that the number of hungry people "is increasing at a frenetic pace, and that the emergency food available for distribution is quickly depleted." The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an independent and widely respected research organization which specialized in analyses of domestic problems affecting low- and moderate-income families, conducted a survey on emergency food programs in the United States. They were joined in their efforts by Second Harvest, a nationwide network of some 60 food banks that solicit food donations from industries and distributes them to local non-profit feeding programs. The study found that eight out of ten programs reported increases in demand between 1982 and 1983. One-third of the food banks experienced an annual 100% increase, while some reported a 200% increase in one year. Other programs have reported increases of 200%, 300%, and even 400% in the numbers of people they serve. Virginia's food banks participated in this study. People receiving emergency food include both those left out of government nutrition programs as well as those for whom assistance is simply not enough. Unfortunately these figures reflect the known hungry - how many are being totally left out? Chronic hunger can affect a person in a variety of ways. It can create stress and corresponding social and mental disorders. It can create a multiple of adverse health situations. The impact of malnutrition depends on the age, sex, and health of the individual. It can cause an impaired immune function, deficiency diseases, lethargy, weakness and could eventually lead to death. Pregnant women, infants, young children and the elderly are the most susceptible and suffer the greatest harm when food is inadequate. During pregnancy, not only is the mother's health jeopardized by maternal anemia and toxemia due to inadequate calories, vitamins and minerals, but the infant's health may also be directly compromised as well. Risks include premature births and low birth weight babies. These infants are likely to experience respiratory stress syndrome and are highly susceptible to infection. A low birth weight baby faces 30 times the normal likelihood of dying before the age of one. This accounts for more than half the infant deaths in the United States. It accounts for 75% of the deaths in infants under one month of age and it is the eighth leading cause of death in this country. Those low-birth weight babies that do survive present future problems. These infants are three times more likely to have birth defects; ten times more likely to be mentally retarded; and, are more likely to have trouble seeing or hearing, have sensory or nervous system disorders, epilepsy or cerebral palsy. Some will require institutionalization at an estimate cost of $2 million. These babies frequently require treatment in neonatal units where basic costs are $500 to $1,000 per day and usually result in treatment costs of $15,000 to $100,000. Every pound which a low-birth weight baby must gain in a hospital costs approximately $5,000. In Richmond there were 4,000 babies born in 1982 and the percentage of babies with low birth weights was higher than in 1981 for both White and Black babies; for Black babies it was the highest in five years. Virginia also ranks 32nd in the nation in its infant mortality rate. Our national infant mortality rate, 11.2 per thousand live births, places us 18th in the world, worse than some third world countries. The consequences of malnutrition adversely impact older children as well. Diminished brain growth, deficiency diseases including anemia, stunting (defined as low height-for-age), wasting (defined as low weight-for-height), increased susceptibility to infection and infectious diseases, and increased vulnerability to environmental toxins, including lead, which affects the brain, are all results of inadequate food intake. At the other end of the spectrum, the elderly greatly suffer from the effects of hunger, too. Many have conditions which affect their food intake. These include: chronic conditions which call for special dietary requirements; deficiency diseases which increase requirements for certain nutrients; conditions which impair digestion or absorption of nutrients; infections; and, other non-medical factors such as difficulty in shopping and chewing some foods and lack of appetite due to social isolation and resultant depression. One of the basic causes of hunger is that people simply do not have enough money to purchase an adequate diet. Poor people are those people who live below the government's poverty line, and that line, according to the government's own standard, is based on a diet that is nutritionally inadequate. Some years ago the USDA developed a meal plan, the "Thrifty Food Plan," to help people make the best nutritional use of inadequate food. Nutritionists cautioned that it was only a short-term answer to an emergency and that longer use could lead to malnutrition. To establish its official poverty line, the government multiplies the Thrifty Food Plan by three (poor people spent an average of one-third of their income on food). If the poverty line provides inadequate funds for nutrition, what of the tens of thousands who are known to live below the poverty line? Hunger affects not only the body but also the mind. It profoundly affects self-esteem because it is a tendency of this society to equate the worth of an individual with economic success. A problem frequently associated with hunger is alcoholism. Social agencies report that 99% of their cases involve alcoholism which is related to economic stress. Child abuse and sexual abuse is reported to be on the rise. Increases may be due somewhat to better reporting, but child protective service agencies report that an increased proportion of their clients face economic hardship. Families are separating, due partly to government policies. AFDC regulations make assistance for two-parent families an option and 27 states, including Virginia, do not allow it. Spouses are forced to leave their families so they might obtain aid. Family stability is needed in situations such as this, but the question remains as to whether to eat or stay together. At this time, the Commonwealth is conducting a pilot program in sixteen counties and cities to determine the exact effects of allowing two-parent families to receive aid. Although the individual reasons for hunger vary, poverty is the primary problem. Some families are unemployed and cannot find work. Others who can get a part-time or minimum wage job cannot afford the necessary transportation and child care expenses. Benefits are frequently too low to cover actual costs. Benefit policies often hinder movement from the welfare rolls to lines of independence. Fifteen percent of Virginia's citizens live below the federal poverty level. The initiatives recommended in this study will not eliminate hunger in Virginia. If enacted, however, they will diminish the problem significantly. This introduction to the topic is a generalized overview of the phenomenon of hunger and malnutrition in our society today. The data comes from national statistics as well as recent studies done in other localities, but it is felt that the resulting information is relevant to most other areas with only minor variations. |
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