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90% of Black Children Threatened With Malnutrition & Poverty

Tuesday Nov 3, 2009 – By Sky Obercam

72933915 A long-term study has revealed that 90% of African American children will be on food stamps as a result of the current recession. In addition, it’s very likely that the economic fallout of this modern day recession could push that number even higher.

Washington University Sociologist Mark Rank suggests that the 30-year analysis of national data proves that almost every American knows a family who has received food stamps, or will in the near future. In his words:

“Your neighbor may be using some of these programs but it’s not the kind of thing people want to talk about.”

The results have grave implications for the health of impoverished youth and efforts to prepare pediatricians nationwide are underway. The authors consider it a critical medical issue because children on food stamps are at risk for malnutrition and other ills linked with poverty.

As the health of our youth remains in jeopardy, their well-being hangs in the balance as well. According to Stanford Pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise, “the current recession is likely to generate for children in the United States the greatest level of material deprivation that we will see in our professional lifetimes.” He goes on to say that “I find it terribly sad, but not surprising.”

Given that this revelation has been over 30 years in the making, it can hardly even be considered a “surprise.” Nonetheless this circumstance has dismal implications for all of us. James Weill, President of Food Research and Action Center, aptly illustrates in response to this crisis by stating, “What I hope comes out of this study is an understanding that food stamp beneficiaries aren’t them – they’re us.”

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Wow « Kasalina says:

November 3, 2009 at 2:12 pm

[...] 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment 90% of black children in the United States will potentially be on Food Stamps in the near future as [...]

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Loquacious_ says:

November 4, 2009 at 3:25 pm

The statistical number is hard to believe (or it may be that I don’t want to believe it). And, i don’t follow how malnutrition is affected by food stamps. I think education affects malnutrition. Please believe I know and see people that have food stamps get plenty of money to cover their needs for a month. But, they choose to buy junk food instead of vegetables, fruit and other nutritious foods.

Needless to say, this is a problem and it should be addressed with welfare reform. Unless you are disabled, you do not need to be on goverment aid your entire life. This is a curse that is now generational. If you aren’t disabled and you have been on government aid majortiy if not all of your life simply because you are poor-I need you to do better. Government aid for your entire life only makes you weak and dependant. And most of the time, that is what you leave to your children to inherit.

Lish says:

November 7, 2009 at 5:43 pm

I would have to agree….education and supermarket zoning is an issue. But now they farmers markets in neighborhoods with both high and low incomes. Education here is key!

November 7, 2009 at 5:44 pm

plus many farmers markets take EBT!

Clnmike says:

November 7, 2009 at 9:09 pm

What is this statistical nonsense?

Food stamps a program that gives free food to those in need will contribute to children’s malnutrition?

Oh yeah, how?

More importantly what is the alternative, dont give the people in need a red cent?

You want to blame malnutrition on some one blame it on poor education on healthy eating and blame it on farmers market who do not have stores in the poor to working class communities.

You got to start asking more questions and read between the lines when people start pulling stats out of the air.

This reads like a trick play out of a republican playbook.