Young Children in Immigrant Families Face Higher Risk of Food Insecurity. Research Brief. Publication #2009-07.

Abstract

Children in immigrant families are more likely than children in native-born families to face a number of risk factors for poor developmental outcomes, including higher poverty rates, lower household incomes, and linguistic isolation, (for example, when older children and adults in a household have difficulty speaking English). Previous research suggests that food insecurity is significantly higher among children of immigrants than among children of native-born parents, even after taking into account parental work status and family income. Research also suggests that food insecurity is higher among less acculturated immigrants— those who have limited English proficiency (LEP), are noncitizens, or have more recently arrived in the United States.