Effects Of Child Hunger

“if we can conquer space, we can conquer childhood hunger.” – Buzz Aldrin.
Imagine not being able to reach into your refrigerator and pull out a snack. Think about those mornings or nights you forget to eat and your stomach is growling the whole time until you eat. Now imagine not being able to suppress that feeling, imagine feeling that hunger day after day. This is real for a lot of people of the world’s population. Hunger is a term that can be defined by three meanings, first one is the uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite. Also the exhausted condition caused by want of food. The second definition, is the want or scarcity of food in a country, and lastly a strong desire or craving. World hunger can be defined …show more content…
Food is plays a key part to our survival not speaking about life or death, but speaking in a way that not having enough food can cause long and short term effects on your body. And children are the ones that are most vulnerable to these effects. Malnourished children experience developmental delays, weight-loss and illness as a result of not getting an enough intake of protein, calories, and other nutrients that are found in food. Malnourishment takes a toll on young children more than adults, because so much development occurs in the first few years of life and if they don’t take in those nutrients, they will have major effects on their bodies (Orphan Nutrition). These effects can range from compromising a child’s immune system, stunting their growth, to long term affects such as reduced social skills, or learning disabilities. According to Wong, Childhood malnutrition is a server problem that is present in the world. An increase in household income is not sufficient to reduce childhood malnutrition if children are deprived of food security, education, access to water, sanitation and health services. This is where the poverty ties in with …show more content…
But, there are many people who can’t afford to buy food for their families, many are also homeless. So child hunger is also present in the United States and its not being addressed as it should be. For a child living in American, possibilities should be endless, The United States has enough resources to teach the children to reach for the stars. It is seen as the hope for America rests on their shoulders and it’s the job of the families to support them and give them all the essentials in order for them to become something great. But how can they achieve this if they are not getting the nutrients that are needed for their minds to grow strong. One out of every five children in America live in households without consistent access to adequate food and 21 million children rely on free or reduced-price lunches for their nutritional needs on an average school day (Hungeris). That means that in a classroom of 25, five of those kids are not getting enough food throughout the day, causing them to not function the way they’re suppose to. This hunger that they are facing, is robbing them from their future and from reaching their goals. So why does hunger exist here in the United States despite of it being a first world country? Reduction in welfare benefits in the early 1980s, emergency food and shelters began to see an increase in demand for their services by the new poor and unskilled and unemployed youth, and