Media Release

FOR: Immediate Release
DATE: November 15, 1999
CONTACT: Bethany DiNapoli, MS, RD (401) 222-5958
Samara Viner-Brown, MS (401)222-5935

Department of Health Report Finds That One in Four of Rhode Island’s Poorest Families Struggle to Get Enough to Eat

Providence – On Monday, November 15, 1999, the Department of Health released the results of the 1999 Rhode Island Food Security Monitoring Survey at a briefing at the Amos House, a non-profit organization serving people in need. The survey of the State’s low-income neighborhoods found that one in four families living in these areas do not have enough money to buy the food they need, and of these families, 40 percent suffer from hunger.Four-hundred and ten (410) randomly selected Rhode Island households from low-income neighborhoods responded to an 18-question telephone survey, which was designed to measure hunger that is a direct result of restricted financial resources. Findings show that among the households surveyed, an alarming 25% are food insecure. In addition, the survey identifies sub-groups of the population who may be at greater risk of hunger. For example, the results show that a disproportionate percentage of the surveyed households with children are at risk of hunger (32.5%), especially those households that have children under 6 years old (40.7%).The Department of Health believes that the incidence of hunger in Rhode Island actually is higher than reported because the telephone survey methodology did not capture the homeless, people in temporary housing/shelters, households that either have unlisted phone numbers or have no phones."Access to adequate nutritious food is a basic individual and family right, analogous to health or housing," said Patricia A. Nolan, MD, MPH, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. "Hunger and food insecurity can be precursors to more serious health problems." The Department of Health has a mandate to monitor the health status of all the State’s citizens. Monitoring hunger and its impact, while a new endeavor, is a key part of this mandate. The measurement of food insecurity and hunger will provide benchmarks for program planners and policymakers working to ameliorate these problems.

Rhode Island is the first state in the nation to complete a statewide hunger survey of low- income neighborhoods. The Department of Health plans to repeat the survey on a periodic basis. The State’s effort contributes to the national goals of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to monitor hunger and reduce its incidence by 50 percent by the year 2015. In addition to the Department of Health’s initiative, there are many public and private programs as well as community based initiatives that are working to ameliorate the problems of hunger and food insecurity in Rhode Island.

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Department of Health Website: www.health.state.ri.us