Americans with children most likely to experience food insecurity

Ashburn, Va. (May 9, 2017) — According to a recent poll conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), nearly 100 million Americans either personally face or know someone who faces food insecurity or does not have regular access to food because of financial difficulties. This is an alarming trend, especially in underserved, low-income areas where access to healthy, nutritious food is already an issue.  

Thirty-one percent of Americans ages 18+ polled say they’ve personally experienced and/or know someone who has experienced food insecurity over the past 12 months. Younger adults are more likely affected by food insecurity: 27 percent of Millennials say they personally are experiencing food insecurity, while 28 percent of Millennials know someone who does not have regular access to food. Americans with children in the household (46 percent) are nearly twice as likely to have experienced or know someone who experienced food insecurity over the past year, compared to Americans with no children in the household (25 percent). More black (46 percent) and Hispanic (38 percent) people experienced or know someone who experienced food insecurity over the past year than white (25 percent) people.

“The need for local government agencies and others to step up and address issues of food insecurity remains near an all-time high,” said Barbara Tulipane, NRPA president and CEO. “By increasing access to healthy foods during out-of-school time, the field of parks and recreation is ready to help the nation face this challenge.”

NRPA is committed to helping park and recreation agencies improve access to healthy foods during out-of-school time. Nearly 1,300 park and recreation sites have pledged to implement the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards as part of NRPA’s Commit to Health campaign. Now, more than 228,000 children have improved access to healthy foods and increased opportunities for physical activity.

Through NRPA’s Commit to Health: Foods of the Month program, park and recreation agencies are encouraging communities to eat healthy and get moving. The program includes a Foods of the Month calendar, Foods of the Month posters and a newsletter with healthy recipes and being active tips. All of the materials are free and available for download here.

To learn more about Commit to Health, watch this video.

This poll is part of NRPA’s Park Pulse, a continuing series of monthly surveys that gauge the public’s opinion on topics relating to parks and recreation. To explore previous Park Pulse survey results, visit www.nrpa.org/Park-Pulse/. 

To view the interactive charts with the survey results, click here.

To view the full-size infographic, click here.

To learn more about NRPA, visit www.nrpa.org/. 

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About The National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to parks and recreation for health, conservation and social equity. Through its network of nearly 60,000 recreation and park professionals and advocates, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation initiatives and equitable access to parks and public space. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.