 |
|
| Politics Forum Index » Libertarian Forum » Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says... |
|
Page 1 of 1 |
|
| Author |
Message |
| Gnostic Liberator... |
 Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:31 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says
By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey – Mon Nov 2, 9:32 pm ET
CHICAGO – Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black
youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and
fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even
higher,
researchers say.
The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and
it
bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at
economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family who has
received food stamps, or will in the future, said lead author Mark
Rank, a
sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
"Your neighbor may be using some of these programs but it's not the
kind of
thing people want to talk about," Rank said.
The analysis was released Monday in the November issue of Archives of
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The authors say it's a medical
issue
pediatricians need to be aware of because children on food stamps are
at
risk for malnutrition and other ills linked with poverty.
"This is a real danger sign that we as a society need to do a lot more
to
protect children," Rank said.
Food stamps are a Department of Agriculture program for low-income
individuals and families, covering most foods although not prepared
hot
foods or alcohol. For a family of four to be eligible, their annual
take-
home pay can't exceed about $22,000.
According to a USDA report released last month, 28.4 million Americans
received food stamps in an average month in 2008, and about half were
younger than age 18. The average monthly benefit per household totaled
$222.
Rank and Cornell University sociologist Thomas Hirschl studied data
from a
nationally representative survey of 4,800 American households
interviewed
annually from 1968 through 1997 by the University of Michigan. About
18,000
adults and children were involved.
Overall, about 49 percent of all children were on food stamps at some
point
by the age of 20, the analysis found. That includes 90 percent of
black
children and 37 percent of whites. The analysis didn't include other
ethnic
groups. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:42 am
|
|