Publications
Recent Children's HealthWatch publications, by author:
Prior to February 2009, Children's HealthWatch was called Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP)
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Maureen Black, Diana Cutts, Deborah A. Frank, Joni Geppert, Anne Skalicky, Suzette Levenson, Patrick Casey, Carol Berkowitz, Nieves Zaldivar, John Cook, Alan Meyers and Children's HealthWatch Study Group. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Participation and Infants' Growth and Health: A Multisite Surveillance Study. Pediatrics 2004: 114(1):169-176.
Patrick Casey, Susan Goolsby, Carol Berkowitz, Deborah A. Frank, John Cook, Diana Cutts, Maureen Black, Nieves Zaldivar, Anne Skalicky, Suzette Levenson, Tim Heeren, Alan Meyers and the Children's HealthWatch Study Group. Maternal Depression, Changing Public Assistance, Food Security, and Child Health Status. Pediatrics. 2004; 113(2):298-304.
Mariana Chilton, Maureen M. Black, Carol Berkowitz, Patrick H. Casey, John Cook, Diana Cutts, Ruth Rose Jacobs, Timothy Heeren, Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Sharon Coleman, Alan Meyers, and Deborah A. Frank. Food Insecurity and Risk of Poor Health Among US-Born Children of Immigrants. American Journal of Public Health. March 2009.
Mariana Chilton, Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Diana B. Cutts, Carol Berkowitz, John T. Cook, Maureen M. Black, Danielle Appugliese, Tim C. Heeren, Deborah A. Frank and the Children's HealthWatch Study Group. La alimentación y el bienestar de los ciudadanos estadounidenses más jóvenes de madres mexicanas, centroamericanas, y caribeñas. Cahiers Alhim de la Universidad de Paris 8 de Saint-Denis. No. 14: 2007.
John T. Cook, Deborah A. Frank, Patrick H. Casey, Ruth Rose-Jacobs, Maureen M. Black, Mariana Chilton, Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Danielle Appugliese, Sharon Coleman, Timothy Heeren, Carol Berkowitz, and Diana B. Cutts. A Brief Indicator of Household Energy Security: Associations With Food Security, Child Health, and Child Development in US Infants and Toddlers. Pediatrics. October 2008.
John T. Cook and Deborah A. Frank. Food Security, Poverty, and Human Development in the United States. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2008.
John T. Cook, Deborah A. Frank, Suzette M. Levenson, Nicole B. Neault, Tim C. Heeren, Maureen M. Black, Carol Berkowitz, Patrick H. Casey, Alan F. Meyers, Diana B. Cutts, Mariana Chilton. Child Food Insecurity Increases Risks Posed by Household Food Insecurity to Young Children's Health. Journal of Nutrition. 2006 Apr; 136 (4):1073-6.
John Cook, Deborah A. Frank, Carol Berkowitz, Maureen Black, Patrick Casey, Diana Cutts, Alan Meyers, Nieves Zaldivar, Anne Skalicky, Suzette Levenson, Timothy Heeren, and Mark Nord. Journal of Nutrition. Food Insecurity is Associated with Adverse Health Outcomes Among Human Infants and Toddlers. 2004; 134:1432-1438.
John Cook, Deborah A. Frank, Carol Berkowitz, Patrick Casey, Diana Cutts, Alan Meyers, Nieves Zaldivar, Anne Skalicky, Suzette Levenson, Tim Heeren. Welfare Reform and the Health of Young Children: A Sentinel Survey in Six US Cities. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2002; 156:678-684.
Deborah A. Frank, Nicole B. Neault, Anne Skalicky, John T. Cook, Jacqueline D. Wilson, Suzette Levenson, Alan F. Meyers, Timothy Heeren, Diana B. Cutts, Patrick H. Casey, Maureen M. Black, Carol Berkowitz. Heat or Eat: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Nutritional and Health Risks Among Children Less Than 3 Years of Age. Pediatrics. 2006; 118(5):1293-1302.
Deborah A. Frank, et al. Seasonal Variation in Weight-for-Age in a Pediatric Emergency Room. Public Health Reports, July/August 1996, 111:366-371.
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Kristen M. Hurley, Maureen M. Black, Mia A. Papas, and Anna M. Quigg. Variation in breastfeeding behaviours, perceptions, and experiences by race/ethnicity among a low-income statewide sample of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants in the United States. Maternal and Child Nutrition. 2008; 4:95-105.
Margaret Kersey, Joni Geppert, Diana Cutts. Hunger in young children of Mexican immigrant families. Journal of Public Health and Nutrition. April 2007.
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Alan Meyers, Diana Cutts, Deborah A. Frank, Suzette Levenson, Anne Skalicky, John Cook, Carol Berkowitz, Maureen Black, Patrick Casey and Nieves Zaldivar. Subsidized Housing and Children's Nutritional Status: Data from a Multisite Surveillance Study. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2005;159:551-556.
Nicole B. Neault, Deborah A. Frank, Barbara Philipp, Anne Merewood, Marianna Kessimian, Suzette Levenson, John T. Cook, Alan Meyers, Patrick Casey, Diana Cutts, Maureen Black, Nieves Zaldivar, Carol Berkowitz. Breastfeeding and Health Outcomes among Citizen Infants of Immigrant Mothers. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. December 2007.
Kyong Park, Margaret Kersey, Joni Geppert, Mary Story, Diana Cutts and John H Himes.Household food insecurity is a risk factor for iron-deficiency anaemia in a multi-ethnic, low-income sample of infants and toddlers. Public Health Nutrition. May 2009.
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Ruth Rose-Jacobs, Maureen M. Black, Patrick H. Casey, John T. Cook, Diana B. Cutts, Mariana Chilton, Tim C. Heeren, Suzette M. Levenson, Alan F. Meyers, Deborah A. Frank. Household Food Insecurity: Associations with At-Risk Infant and Toddler Development. Pediatrics. January 2008.
Anne Skalicky, Alan Meyers, William Adams, Zhaoyan Yang, John Cook, Deborah A. Frank. Child Food Insecurity and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Low-Income Infants and Toddlers in the United States. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2006;10(2):177-185.
Reports
Rx for Hunger: Affordable Housing, December 2009.
A report by Children's HealthWatch and the Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston finds that subsidized housing plays a significant role in protecting young children from food insecurity and the health risks of being serisouly underweight. This report confirms that increased support for subsidized housing must be a part of the strategy to end childhood hunger.
Stable Housing and Utilities: Keeping Baltimore's Babies Healthy, September 2009.
Very young children are uniquely vulnerable to deprivation. The health and learning potential of our nation's youngest children are put at risk because of hardships. This report demonstrates the impact that unstable housing conditions and inadequate home heating or cooling has on the health and development of children in Baltimore.
Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on our Nation, July 2009.
A report commissioned by Feeding America and The ConAgra Foods Foundation, and written by Children's HealthWatch, details the impacts that food insecurity in children has on the nation's economic future. The report explores data from Children's HealthWatch and other literature that demonstrates how food insecurity and hunger with other correlates of poverty can significantly alter the architecture of children's brains, thus affecting their ability to reach their full potential as adults.
Click here to read the executive summary.
Feeding Our Future: Growing up Healthy with WIC, May 2009.
Children's HealthWatch recently released a report, "Feeding Our Future: Growing up Healthy with WIC", which details the important effects that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has on very young children. The report highlights Children's HealthWatch research that WIC not only improves children's health but reduces their risk of developmental delays.
Reading, Writing and Hungry: The consequences of food insecurity on children and on our nation's economic success, Research Report, November 2008.
A report commissioned by the Partnership for America's Economic Success and written by Children's HealthWatch and the Food Research Action Center addresses the range of economic consequences associated with persistently high rates of household food insecurity in the United States. Drawing from various sources of data, the report identifies the short- and long-term economic costs of the harmful effects of food insecurity on very young children.
Bringing Children in from the Cold: Solutions for
Children's HealthWatch and the Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston recently released a joint report entitled “Bringing Children in from the Cold: Solutions for
Coming Up Short: High food costs outstrip food stamp benefits, September 2008.
The Real Cost of a Healthy Diet Project published new data on the availability and affordability of healthy food in a September 2008 report entitled "Coming up Short: High food costs outstrip food stamp benefits." This project, based at the Boston Medical Center and Drexel University's School of Public Health and generously supported by WK Kellogg Foundation and the Claneil Foundation, investigated whether low-income residents in Boston and Philadelphia could buy food for a healthy diet using the maximum food stamp benefit in their neighborhood food stores.
Food Security: Ensuring the health of Baltimore's babies, Summer 2008.
Food insecurity is the lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy lifestyle for all household members due to financial constraints. Families who are food insecure often limit the quality and quantity of food that is available to family members. As a result, families fill up on low-cost foods with little nutritional value. This report demonstrates the impact that food insecurity has on the health and development of children in the city of
Fuel for Our Future: Impacts of Energy Insecurity on Children's Health, Nutrition, and Learning, October 2007.
Rising energy prices affect all households, yet the impact is greatest on low-income families. The lower a family’s income, the higher the percentage of their total income they must spend for energy. The strain on household budgets often causes unavoidable trade-offs between food and energy, called ‘heat or eat’ or ‘cool or eat.’ These trade-offs have serious consequences for young children’s health and learning, particularly for children of color. This report demonstrates the important role that the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) plays in protecting children’s health and ability to learn.
Click here for more Fuel for Our Future resources.
Balancing ActsEnergy insecurity compounds the negative effects of food insecurity on child health. "Heat or eat" and "cool or eat" situations further compromise the nutrition of already-vulnerable young children, and increase their risk of health problems in both the short- and long-term. Children of color are at increased risk of experiencing the damaging effects of energy insecurity because their families are disproportionately poor and underserved. This report details Children's HealthWatch data on energy insecurity among children of color, focusing specifically on Black and Latino children ages 0 to 3.
Food Stamps As Medicine: A New Perspective on Children's Health, February 2007. The Food Stamp Program is
Nourishing Development: A Report on Food Insecurity & the Precursors to School Readiness among Very Young Children, updated February 2008 (original report July 2006). A report of original Children's HealthWatch findings demonstrating that the foundations of school readiness are laid long before the start of formal education begins.
The Impact of Food Insecurity on the Development of Young Low-Income Black and Latino Children; andProtecting the Health and Nutrition of Young Children of Color: The Impact of Nutrition Assistance and Income Support Programs
Research Findings from the Children's HealthWatch; Prepared for the
A pair of reports demonstrating the increased vulnerability of young black and Latino children from low-income households to developmental risk linked to food insecurity and the buffering effect that family support programs can have on young black and Latino children's health and growth.
The Real Co$t of a Healthy Diet: Healthful Foods are Out of Reach for Low-Income Families in A report from a research team from the Boston Medical Center Department of Pediatrics revealing that, on average, the monthly cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (upon which Food Stamp Program benefits are based) is $27 more than the maximum monthly food stamp benefit allowance. A low-cost healthier diet based on the most recent nutrition guidelines exceeded the maximum monthly food stamp benefit by $148 -- an annual differential of $1,776. This is an unrealistic budgetary stretch for most families who qualify for nutrition assistance.
The Safety Net in Action: Protecting the Health and Nutrition of Young American Children, July 2004. A comprehensive summary of Children's HealthWatch findings showing the positive impact of five public assistance programs on young children's food security, growth, and health.
The Impact of Welfare Sanctions on the Health of Infants and Toddlers: A Report from the Children's HealthWatch, July 2002. A report based on Children's HealthWatch findings published in the July 2002 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Welfare sanctions and benefit decreases have serious negative implications for infants and toddlers’ health and food security.
Policy Action Briefs
Energy Insecurity is a Major Threat to Child Health, February 2010.
With the recession and this winter's harsh weather, many families are facing a choice between eating and heating. Research by Children's HealthWatch shows that young children whose families struggle to pay their utility bills ('energy insecure' families) are more likely to suffer a host of problems including food insecurity, poor health, hospitalizations and development delays. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides low-income households with assistance in paying their utility bills, is effective at shielding young children from the harmful effects of energy insecurity. According to research by Children's HealthWatch, young children whose families received LIHEAP were less likely to be at risk for growth problems and had healthier weights for their age. By appropriating the maximum authorized funding for LIHEAP and ensuring that climate change legislation buffers vulnerable familes and children from the harmful effects of higher energy prices, Congress will be taking important steps to protect children's health.
Child Care Feeding Programs Support Young Children's Healthy Development, January 2010.
Children’s HealthWatch finds that toddlers receiving meals from their child care provider are in better health than those who must bring meals from home. The Child and Adult Care Feeding Program (CACFP) is the nation’s only nutrition program for young children in child care. Children’s HealthWatch identified a group of children in it’s dataset that are very likely receiving CACFP meals. Children in participating child care centers or family child care homes are in better health, have decreased risk for hospitalization, and are at healthier heights and weights for their age than children whose meals are supplied from home. Changes to CACFP that expand access, reduce barriers and ensure that providers have the resources they need to provide healthy meals are beneficial for young children’s health and growth.
WIC Improves Child Health and School Readiness, January 2010.
Children’s HealthWatch finds that young children who participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are more likely to be in excellent or good health and have a reduced risk of developmental delay compared to children who are eligible for WIC but not enrolled. WIC provides vouchers for foods high in essential nutrients to young children and pregnant and postpartum women. Investing in WIC not only provides cost savings in infant health care, but also supports the nutritional needs of young children during a critical window of brain and body growth. Program improvements that decrease access barriers, provide the full amount of recommended fruits and vegetables, and accommodate working parents will help young children reach their full potential.
Funding Shortfall for Housing Vouchers Could Have Serious Health Consequences for Children, September 2009.
In the fourth brief in its Policy Action series, Children's HealthWatch finds that unaffordable housing endangers the health and development of young children. Due to a federal funding shortfall, state and local housing agencies will be forced to reduce or eliminate rental assitance to thousands of families starting this month. Voucher cuts will push more families into the ranks of the "hidden homeless" -- families that move frequently, crowd into apartments that are too small, or live doubled up with other households when they cannot find affordable housing. Children in hidden homeless families are at increased risk for poor health, nutrition, and growth, as well as developmental dealys. Timely Congressional action to protect the Housing Choice Voucher Program will ensure that families have stable, affordable housing essential to children's health.
Affordable Health Care Keeps Children and Families Healthy, July 2009.
In the third brief in its Policy Action series, Children's HealthWatch finds that the health of young children is negatively affected when parents have to forego health care for themselves or other adult members of the household or when parents have to forego payment of household expenses in order to pay for health care. Children in families who struggle to pay for health care are at increased risk for health problems, developmental delays and food insecurity. The health and well-being of their mothers also suffer. Access to quality, affordable health care for all family members is essential to children’s health and development. It is critical that all plans for health care reform ensure that parents can afford quality health care for the whole family.
Food Insecurity Rates Rise Steeply with Recession, June 2009.
In the second brief in its Policy Action series, Children's HealthWatch finds that the prevalence of food insecurity in a five-city sample of low-income families with young children increased from 18.5 percent to 22.6 percent between 2007 and 2008. This is the largest year-to-year change seen in the dataset since 2001. The increase is an indication of the economic hardships facing low-income families with young children. This data suggests that we are likely to see significant increases in food insecurity when the U.S. Department of Agriculture issues its own statistics for 2008 in late fall.
Even Very Low Levels of Food Insecurity Found to Harm Children's Health, May 2009.
This publication is the first in a series of Children's HealthWatch Policy Action Briefs, which will provide a summary of our research, as well as that of others, on issues affecting children's health and well-being. This brief finds that more children are at risk for health and developmental problems due to lack of food than were previously thought. These children and their families are classified as “marginally food secure” by the USDA, which suggests that they are not at risk. The data show that they are, in fact, significantly at risk.
Site Specific Materials
Stable Housing and Utilities: Keeping Baltimore's Babies Healthy, September 2009.
Food Security: Ensuring the health of Baltimore's babies, Summer 2008.
Bringing Children in from the Cold: Solutions for
Coming Up Short: High food costs outstrip food stamp benefits, September 2008.
Coming Up Short: High food costs outstrip food stamp benefits - Boston City Specific Insert, September 2008.
The Real Co$t of a Healthy Diet: Healthful Foods are Out of Reach for Low-Income Families in
Coming Up Short: High food costs outstrip food stamp benefits, September 2008.
Coming Up Short: High food costs outstrip food stamp benefits - Philadelphia City Specific Insert, September 2008.
Children's HealthWatch Food Insecurity Findings
January 27, 2009
Reading, Writing and Hungry: The consequences of food insecurity on children and on our nation's economic success, Research Brief, November 2008.
A research brief, based on a report of the same name written by Children's HealthWatch and the Food Research Action Center, demonstrates that food insecurity among young children carries significant economic costs for individuals, families, and society as a whole.
Immigrant Children and Food Insecurity
October 5, 2007
Factsheet for the Congressional Black Caucus: Black children at risk for hunger and poor development
September 28, 2007
Safeguarding the Health, Nutrition, and Development of Young Children of Color
September/October 2006.
For further research on topics related to Children’s HealthWatch’s areas of expertise, please click here.
Resources
Latest Publications:
Energy Insecurity is a Major Threat to Child Health, February 2010
Child Care Feeding Programs Support Young Children's Healthy Development, January 2010
WIC Improves Child Health and School Readiness, January 2010
Rx for Hunger: Affordable Housing, December 2009
Funding Shortfall for Housing Vouchers Could Have Serious Health Consequences for Children, September 2009
Latest Press:
Amy Goldstein
Missing more than a meal
The Washington Post
December 12, 2009
Chris Berdik
Grow Clinic and Food Pantry See Too Many
BU Today
September 28, 2009
Nancy Cole
Study finds lack of food plaguing more families
Arkansas Gazette
May 1, 2009
