A call for consistent screening and measurement of adolescent food insecurity

In September 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. In the accompanying national strategic plan, they called attention to the critical need to better identify and address food insecurity in high-risk populations.

Food insecurity refers to inconsistent access to enough safe and affordable food to live an active, healthy life. In 2016, 6.8 million (16%) US adolescents lived in households experiencing food insecurity. Households with older children and adolescents are more likely to experience food insecurity than households with younger children, and Black and Hispanic adolescents are more likely to experience food insecurity than White adolescents. During clinical visits, few clinicians ask adolescents directly about their experiences with food insecurity. This gap may be partially driven by the lack of consensus surrounding the appropriate tool for assessing adolescent food insecurity in clinical settings. Identifying such a tool, screening adolescents for food insecurity in clinical settings, and supporting those experiencing food insecurity with tailored interventions are critical to achieving the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration’s national strategic plan.