| SFG Revised: Hunger 101 |
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Hunger 101
History Oregon is a state known for its abundant production of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, and yet thousands of Oregonians do not have adequate resources to put food on the table. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Oregon's hunger rate for 2002-2004 dropped to 3.8% from 6.0% in 1996-98. This is a  statistically significant improvement; however, our rate is still higher than the national average (3.6%). Between July 2004 and June 2005, over 2.2 million Oregonians received food from emergency food boxes.
Additionally, Oregon's food insecurity rate (at 11.9%) did not improve and is also higher than the national average (at 11.2%), indicating that the basic conditions that put a family at risk of hunger have not changed significantly. The hunger rate may have gone down while the food insecurity rate stayed steady because Oregonians increased their use of food stamps and other food programs as most safety net programs lost funding and the economy stayed weak. If you would like more information about national and state hunger rates, USDA’s report is an excellent resource Causes Hunger is an income issue; therefore, we must look at its root causes in order to understand hunger in Oregon. Some of the root causes of poverty include the lack of living wages , high cost of housing, high cost of transportation, lack of adequate health care and child care, and high taxes that disproportionally burden the poor. When an individual or family with limited income must use all of their resources to pay for housing, health and child care, and taxes, the food budget is often cut or substantially reduced. No bill collector ever calls to ask you why you can't pay for groceries this month. Since a majority of an individual's income is often spent on needs other than food, many individuals and families go hungry. Food Stamps, WIC, and emergency food boxes all help alleviate hunger, but oftentimes resources for a family run out before the end of the month. Many families cannot stretch the aid they receive far enough to keep from being hungry during the entire month. We need to work together to end hunger in Oregon by focusing on addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty as well as increasing the amount of emergency aid given to individuals and families on a monthly basis. Misconceptions Body weight, high or low, is not necessarily an indicator of hunger. It is possible to be overweight and also experience hunger. One theory is that obesity may be an adaptive response to food insufficiency that results in overeating when enough food is present, followed by involuntary food restriction when enough food is not available. Obesity may also be caused by the consumption of low-cost, high fat and calorie foods that families consume when they lack the money to buy more  nutritious food.
The most common condition related to hunger in the US is secondary malnutrition. When a person goes without food (i.e. a hungry child at school), his or her body goes into triage mode and all energy goes towards keeping major organs functioning. This leaves little or no energy for learning, working, growing, etc.
Some common side effects of secondary malnutrition and food insecurity include decreased test scores and learning, increased behavior problems and absences, greater susceptibility to infections, and higher incidence of obesity.
Resources
For more information on hunger and its impact and root causes, visit:
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