Tag: Economic hardship

According to a 2020 study, families experiencing food insecurity were 62% more likely to face housing instability later, highlighting the significant and cyclical nature of the bidirectional relationship between food insecurity and housing instability. This dynamic shows how challenges in one area directly impact and worsen the other, trapping individuals and families in a difficult cycle.

According to the USDA, an estimated 5.1% of U.S. households experienced very low food security in 2023. The key distinction lies in the severity and manifestation of food shortages: low food insecurity involves reduced dietary quality, while very low food insecurity is characterized by multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.

According to the American Hospital Association, medical providers are increasingly adopting codes for social determinants of health (SDoH) to better understand and address patients' nonmedical barriers to wellness. A crucial example is the ICD-10 code for lack of adequate food, which directly addresses food insecurity and its impact on patient care.

According to the USDA, approximately 13.5% of households, or 47.4 million Americans, experienced food insecurity in 2023, representing a significant increase from the previous year. The question of what percentage of Americans go without food touches upon a larger crisis of food insecurity, which affects millions who face limited or uncertain access to enough healthy food.