Concurrent Water and Food Insecurity Doubled for US Children: Study

Simultaneous food and water insecurity more than doubled for American children between 2005 and 2020, increasing from 4.6 percent to 10.3 percent, according to a new study published in Nature Water on Friday. “The increasing prevalence of US children experiencing concurrent [water insecurity] and [food insecurity] alongside observed racial/ethnic disparities is of major public health concern,” the research team wrote. Researchers analyzed data from 18,252 children provided by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an assessment of health and nutrition. Food insecurity status was assigned based on responses to the survey, but water insecurity was measured by examining non-survey data. Water insecurity was determined by evaluating whether children avoided using tap water. The research team’s previous studies found that tap water avoidance can offer insight into understanding water insecurity....