Policy Action Briefs
The policy action briefs, published by Children's HealthWatch, provide a brief summary of our and others' research. They focus on the impact that different policy-relevant issues, like participation in state and federal programs like WIC, SNAP, and LIHEAP, have on the health and well-being of young children and their families.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is American’s first line of defense against hunger, provides significant cost savings for health care needs, and is an economic boost to local economies.
SNAP alleviates hunger, improves nutrition and health, and increases the food-purchasing power of low-income households. The benefits of SNAP reach beyond participants, affecting not only individual health but also the economy in local communities. Any cuts to the program will have wide reaching effects for the individuals participating in the program, their communities, and the entire nation.
WIC serves 53% of all infants and 25% of all pregnant women in the United States. Any cuts to the WIC program will mean that many children will not receive the adequate nutrition they need at a critical time resulting in lasting, life-long consequences on their physical, mental, and social development.
A new policy action brief from Children's HealthWatch shows that families who are forced to make tough choices between paying the rent and paying for childcare or groceries may experience negative health consequences. Children's HealthWatch analyzed survey data collected from caregivers in Philadelphia between 2005 and 2011. In the sample of 4,500 families, Children's HealthWatch found that about 56% of families were housing insecure. Housing insecurity is associated with poor health outcomes in very young children. Short and long term interventions that help stabilize families in affordable housing will improve the health and development of Philadelphia's youngest children.
1. Young children in families that are overcrowded or living with another family for economic reasons are more likely to be food insecure.
2. Young children who have moved two or more times in the past twelve months are not only at greater risk for food insecurity, but also have a greater likelihood of poor health and developmental delays, and are more likely to be underweight.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assessment Program (SNAP) is the cornerstone of the federal nutrition safety net, protecting children’s health and reducing the likelihood of food insecurity.
The government system used to classify families struggling to access sufficient nutritious food does not capture the true impact of the problem on children’s health and development.
State and local housing agencies will be forced to reduce or eliminate rental assistance to thousands of families due to a federal funding shortfall.
Food insecurity rose from 18.5 percent to 22.6 percent between 2007 and 2008 in a five-city sample of low-income families with children under age three.
Energy insecurity is associated with poor health and development in very young children.
Young children in energy insecure homes are at high risk for food insecurity,poor health, hospitalizations, and developmental delays.
U.S.-born children of immigrant mothers are more likely to be breastfed, have a healthy birth weight, and live with two parents than children of U.S.-born mothers.
Toddlers in subsidized child care whose meals are supplied by their child care provider are more likely to be in good health than similar toddlers whose meals must be supplied from home.
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.
WIC decreases the risk of costly health problems and developmental delays for young children.
 |
 |
 |
Drexel University Public School of Health 
1505 Race Street, 11th Floor, Mail Stop 1035, Philadelphia, PA 19102