Hunger in midwestern inner-city young children.

Abstract

THE UNITED STATES is the greatest producer of agricultural products in the world, yet estimates of hunger in children and families within the United States paint an ominous picture. The Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP) reported in 1995 that hunger affects 4 million low-income children younger than 12 years within the United States and that an additional 9.6 million children are at risk for hunger.¹ In 1985, the Physicians Task Force on Hunger estimated that 20 million Americans were hungry,² and in 1991, the Breglio poll increased this estimate to 30 million.³ Although the definition and assessment of hunger is not consistent between groups, it is clear that hunger is an overwhelming problem, even in its most conservative estimate.