Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health
Population Health Research Brief Series
Having a Disability Increases the Likelihood of Food Insecurity Despite Federal Programs to Prevent this Hardship
Colleen Heflin , Claire Altman, Laura Rodriguez
September 2019
In 2016, more than 41 million people living in the United States were food insecure. Food insecurity is more pronounced among individuals with disabilities. Work-limiting disability is associated with food insecurity in multiple ways. This research brief shows how such high rates of food insecurity among the disabled population stems from ineffective national policies the many ways in which disabilities increase risk of food insecurity.