A rights-based approach to food insecurity in the United States.
Food insecurity is a serious public health problem associated with poor cognitive and emotional development in children and with depression and poor health in adults. Despite sizable continued investments in federal food assistance, food insecurity still affects 11.1% of US households--almost the same rate as in 1995, when annual measurement began. As a fresh approach to solving the problem of food insecurity, we suggest adoption of a human rights framework. This approach could actively engage those affected and would ensure that food security monitoring would be compared to benchmarks in national action plans. We describe key elements of a right-to-food approach, review challenges to implementing it, and suggest actions to foster its adoption.
Chilton
Mariana
M
Department of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University School of Public Health, 1505 Race St, 11th Floor, Mail Stop 1035, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192, USA. mariana.chilton@drexel.edu
Rose
Donald
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011203:Poverty / Q000191:economics*; D015995:Prevalence; D020954:Single-Parent Family; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult