Food Security and Child Malnutrition ─ The Impact on Health, Growth, and Well-being

Food security and child malnutrition are at the forefront of our attention, both nationally and internationally. The chapters contained in this compendium include a range of methodologies—literature review, cross-sectional study, longitudinal study, case-control, and even a focus group!—all of which examine this urgent issue, revealing new perspectives and facets of information. The international roster of contributors present a nuanced look at food security and child malnutrition with research into food security measures in many nations around the world.

HealthWatch has been a leader in the work being done in this area, and some of their work is included here.

The book is broken into several parts, covering

• defining food security
• food security, nutrition, and growth and development
• food security and mental and physical health
• food security and child obesity
• conclusion, with an information study from Healthwatch on household hardships, public programs, and their associations with the health and development of very young children

The range of topics and information presented here will be valuable for those involved with food security advocacy, policymakers, researchers, social service professionals working children and families, and others.

Areej Hassan, MD, MPH, is an attending in the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency training in Pediatrics at Brown University before her fellowship at BCH. In addition to primary care, Dr.Hassan focuses her clinical interests on reproductive endocrinology and global health. She also maintains an active role in medical education and has particular interest in building and developing innovative teaching tools through open educational resources. She currently teaches, consults, and is involved in pediatric and adolescent curricula development at multiple sites abroad in Central America and Southeast Asia.