NURS 200 - CH. 12 Global Nutrition

Undernutrition in the United States

43 million (approximately 13.5%) live at or below poverty level—Annual income of $23,300 for family of four. Food insecure households face difficult choices between purchasing food and housing, medication, utilities, and transportation. More related to politics and socioeconomic trends than scarcity of food.

Socioeconomic Factors Related to Undernutrition

Bidirectional Hunger and undernutrition <=> Poverty situational Generational

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming systems that can indefinitely maintain their productivity and usefulness to society. Goals: •Provides a secure living for farm families. •Maintains the natural environment and resources. •Supports the rural community. •Offers respect and fair treatment to all involved from farm workers to consumers to animals.

Reducing Undernutrition in Developing Countries

Direct food aid •Not a long-term solution. •Drives down local food prices. •Inappropriate nature of donated foods. •Creates a dependence on outside sources.

Development Tailored to Local Conditions

Millions of farmers losing access to resources needed to be self-reliant. Sustainable solutions must. •Help people meet their own needs. •Direct them to resources and employment opportunities. U.S. Peace Corps •Provides education. •Distributes food and medical supplies. •Creates independent, self-sustaining economies.

Helping the Hungry in the United States

Programs for Limited-Resource Households Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (S N A P) •Formerly known as Food Stamps. Other Food Assistance Programs School Breakfast (14.6 million served) and Lunch (30.3 million served). Elderly Nutrition Services. •Congregate meals, home-delivered meals (Meals on Wheels). Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (W I C). •Serves 7.7 million women and children each month.

What Would You Choose: A Better Snack Choice

"You'd better clean your plate! There are starving children in Africa who would love to eat that dinner!" Mom was right: We often overlook the fact that we live in an affluent nation with access to plentiful food and clean water, whereas something as simple as clean drinking water is merely a dream in many developing nations. In fact, the problems of hunger and food insecurity exist in your own community. Although it is not feasible to send your leftover green beans overseas, there are some simple steps you can take to support local, national, and international agencies seeking to provide clean water and nutritious food for people in need. After considering the benefits of direct aid versus empowering and educating inhabitants of developing nations, what would you choose to help reduce world hunger? •Organize a group of friends to prepare and hand out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to homeless people. •Donate $10 per month to an international aid organization that supplies food aid and infrastructure development in Africa. •Participate in a 5K run/walk event that raises funds and awareness to combat world hunger. •Buy locally grown fruits and vegetables at your community's farmersmarket.

New Biotechnology in Developing World

92% of corn and 94% of soybeans in United States are genetically engineered. Concerns •"Super crops" that resist disease, pests, etc. •Long-term effects remain unknown. •Cross-species gene slicing. Benefits •Reduce undernutrition. •Improve nutritional content. •Increase crop yield. •Safety, environmental hazards,and other long-term concerns. Scientific analysis of 2 decades of research: •G M O technology reduced pesticide use by 37%. •Increased crop yield by 22%. •Increased farmer profits by 68%. •Value added of $133 billion from 1996 to 2013.

Access to Healthy Food

Food access challenges remain in impoverished areas lacking full service grocery stores and healthy food access (food deserts). Initiatives established to bring grocery stores, corner stores, and farmers markets to underserved communities in America: •Let's Move! Initiative. •Healthy Food Financing Initiative (H F F I). •SNAP Double Dollar program. •New Roots

Agriculture and Rapid Depletion of Natural Resources

Green revolution •Increased crop yields in 1960s. Environment exploitation •Soil erosion, salinization, desertification, and deforestation. •Water shortages. Food production must keep upwith population. •Sustainable agriculture. •Biotechnology.

Biotechnology

Input traits include herbicide tolerance, insect and virus protection, and tolerance to environmental stressors such as drought. Output traits include plant oils with increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids and crops that produce pharmaceuticals.

Biotechnology

Involves various techniques for transferring foreign D N A into an organism that has improved food production and yield for decades. Genetic engineering •Recombinant D N A technology. Genetically modified organism (G M O) or transgenic organism. F D A remains confident approved varieties of G M Os are safe to consume, but public response is mixed.

Undernutrition Throughout the World

•Close to 1 billion people worldwide are uncertain about their next meal and experience food insecurity, but agriculture worldwide produces more than enough food to meet the energy requirements of 7 billion. •Food security is actually a component of a larger concept called nutrition security. •Understand the terminology •United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (F A O) measures undernutrition around the world.

General Effects of Hunger

•Reduced energy and strength. •Diminished concentration. •Impaired ability to learn. •Lowered productivity. •Progression of chronic disease. •Deterioration of mood. •Reduced immunity. •Decreased birth weights. •Stunted growth in infants and children.