“Do You Wanna Breathe or Eat?”: Parent Perspectives on Child Health Consequences of Food Insecurity, Trade-Offs, and Toxic Stress

This study investigated how parents characterize trade-offs associated with food insecurity with regard to parents’ mental health and child well-being. The results, published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal, suggest that parents in food insecure households recognize that trade-offs between food and other basic necessities are associated with their personal stress and poor mental health, which in turn affects their children’s health and development. Partnerships between health care providers, policymakers, and parents are essential to successfully address and prevent the poor child health outcomes of toxic stress associated with food insecurity and poverty.