Linking Food Insecurity and Obesity in Women: A desktop study
In 2013, 14.3 percent of American households were considered food insecure (Coleman, Gregory & Singh, 2014). 5.6 percent of these households were classified as extremely food insecure (Coleman et al., 2014). This data is similar in Canada. Statistics Canada reported that in 2012, 8.3% of Canadian households were food insecure, with 2.5% being classified as extremely food insecure (Tarasuk, Mitchell & Dachner, 2012). In both countries, rates of food insecurity were substantially higher than the national average in households with incomes near or below the poverty line, households with children that were headed by a single mother, and in minority headed households (Coleman et al, 2014, Tarasuk et al., 2012). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food security as having access to enough food for all household members, at all times, to lead active, healthy lives (Coleman et al, 2014). When households do not have sufficient resources to obtain enough food or have uncertainty surrounding where their next meal will come from, the United States government considers them food insecure (Coleman et al., 2014). There are varying degrees of food insecurity, for example, households experiencing low food security often avoid substantially disrupting their eating patterns with coping strategies such as eating less varied diets, participating in federal food assistance programs, and accessing community feeding programs (Coleman et al., 2014). Households experiencing very low food security lack sufficient resources to obtain food and therefore are forced to alter their eating patterns. It is important to note that food insecure does not always mean food insufficient. Food insecurity exists whenever the availability of adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain (Coleman et...