Scioto Analysis Principal Rob Moore joined Health Policy Professor and Prognosis Ohio Host Dan Skinner last month at the Columbus Arts Festival to talk about food insecurity and its impact on public health in the state of Ohio.
“We have a lot of evidence showing that if you are food insecure, your children are more likely to have birth defects, anemia, lower nutrient intakes, cognitive problems, risks of being hospitalized, asthma, behavioral problems, depression, and there’s also problems for adults when it comes to decreased nutrient intake, worse outcomes on health exams, poor sleep outcomes, etc,” Moore said.
Moore also talked about public policies that impact food insecurity in Ohio.
“Being a SNAP [food stamp] recipient reduces your chance of being food insecure by five to twenty percent,” said Moore, “so that means that about 65,000-260,000 Ohioans are pulled out of food insecurity by the SNAP program [every month].”
Moore also cited Scioto Analysis research that finds that SNAP Education financial literacy programs are cost-effective at reducing food insecurity, lifting one person out of food insecurity for every $700 spent on the program.
Prognosis Ohio is an Ohio health policy and politics report hosted by Dan Skinner.