Four in 10 parents live in a Chicago 

community area with limited grocery access, and they report more challenges to healthy eating for their children, such as time for sit-down family meals, cost of healthy foods, and convenience of fast food, according to results of a new survey released by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Parents who live in a community area with limited food access were more likely to report many challenges to their children's healthy eating (30 percent) than those who did not live in a community area with limited food access (18 percent). Lower household income, which can be a proxy for food access, also was tied to higher odds of parents listing many challenges to healthy eating for their children. Thirty-nine percent of parents with a household income below the federal poverty line report many challenges to their children's healthy eating compared with 12 percent of parents with a household income 400% above the federal poverty line.

"In this report, we are able to understand parents' voices in the context of what is known about their access to fresh groceries," says Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, Senior Vice-President and Chief of Community Health Transformation at Lurie Children's, and Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Medical Social Sciences, and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "This is not only an issue of nutrition. Better access to grocery stores and fresh fruits and vegetables helps kids be healthier overall, learn better in school and avoid future health issues, such as obesity."

"These findings underscore the importance of continuing to address limited food access as it affects the health of multiple generations," says CDPH Acting Commissioner Allison Arwady, MD, MPH. "We need to focus on community-level strategies that make healthy eating easier, in addition to those that support parents and children, when addressing problems as complex as food access in Chicago neighborhoods."

Read the full release

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Visit the report page for Voices of Child Health in Chicago

Download the new food access report directly

The City of Chicago has unveiled a new website to support efforts for a complete and accurate count in the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census. Announced on July 30th, census2020.chicago.gov provides detailed resources for residents from the U.S. Census Bureau and from local organizations. Included in the website are the census timeline, as well as answers to anticipated questions about internet access, safety, privacy and confidentiality .

The government relies on census data to distribute nearly $700 billion in federal funds, which support school lunch programs, healthcare, infrastructure and more. According to the website, for each person missed during the census, the City risks losing $1,400, as well as representation in Congress.

"While the 2020 census kicks off next April, the City isn't wasting any time in preparing for a full count that will ensure every resident is represented, and that Chicago gets our fair share from the federal government," said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "The inclusion of every Chicagoan is essential to the 2020 census count, and over the next several months our team will be working hard to ensure that all residents, even in the hardest to reach places, have the information and the comfort they need to participate." 

The new 2020 census website is fully accessible to every user, providing detailed information available in several languages including Spanish, Polish, Mandarin, Arabic and Tagalog. It also lists ways to get involved in the 2020 census including how to work for the U.S. Census Bureau  

On July 23, the Trump administration announced a rule change to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, would remove access to nutrition benefits for over 3 million Americans.

SNAP is a hunger and nutrition safety net for 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, living in food insecure households. The program ensures children have access to basic nutrition, such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy, and an opportunity to lead a healthy life.

Read more about the Rule Change here.

By law, the rule change must be preceded by a comment period, and all unique comments must be considered.

Please join CLOCC and take advantage of resources put forth by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), to submit a comment and oppose the Rule Change.

Tell the Trump administration that this proposal would: 

• Sidestep Congress, which recently rejected such harmful proposals when it enacted the 2018 Farm Bill.
• Fuel rates of hunger and food insecurity by taking food off the tables of working families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others.
• Prevent children from receiving healthy school meals, putting their health and learning at risk.
• Create a sicker and poorer nation by denying struggling households the food assistance they need for a healthy, productive life.
• Harm the economy, grocery retailers, and agricultural producers by reducing the amount of SNAP dollars available to spur local economic activity.

The Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) will host a free
5-4-3-2-1 Go!®  message training opportunity on Friday, August 30th, in Rogers Park. The training will take place in the Loyola Park Field House and is now open for registration.

5-4-3-2-1 Go! is the Consortium's evidenced-based, public education message containing recommendations for children and families to promote a healthy lifestyle.  Developed in 2004 and launched as a mass-media campaign in 2009,  5-4-3-2-1 Go!  has reached millions of individuals in communities throughout Chicago and beyond.

These free, provider-oriented training opportunities will include:

Date: Friday, August 30, 2019
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Loyola Park Field House, 1230 W Greenleaf Ave,
Chicago, IL 60626

Loyola Park is located on the Lakefront, and is a short, 10-minute walk from the Morse station of the CTA Red Line. Additionally, metered parking is available in two nearby lots.