Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2023 - 31

5 MINUTES WITH... / VITALS
Nutrition for all
An expert in nutrition security shares how pediatric
institutions can help families access food resources.
T
ON DEMAND
CATCH UP
Join CHA and the
American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP)
for " Promoting Food
Access for Kids: How the
Pediatric Community
Can Effect Change, " a
three-part, on-demand
webinar series exploring
ways children's
hospitals and pediatric
practices can address
the hunger needs of
children and families.
Watch the series at
childrenshospitals.org/
nutrition.
his year, the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's
Hospital Association teamed up to produce
a three-part webinar series exploring
ways that children's hospitals and
pediatric practices can address the hunger
needs of children and families. In one of
the webinars, Kimberly G. Montez, M.D.,
M.P.H., FAAP, provides clinical strategies
for pediatricians to help families access
food resources. Montez, associate director
of the Maya Angelou Center for Health
Equity at Wake Forest University School of
Medicine and Brenner Childrenʼs Hospital
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has
worked with AAP on a national level to elevate
the topic of food insecurity and educate
and encourage pediatricians to screen,
intervene and advocate.
View the AAP/Food Research
& Action Center's (FRAC)
Food Insecurity Toolkit
for Pediatricians at
frac.org/aaptoolkit.
What is nutrition security and how is it
different than food security?
Nutrition security refers to the consistent,
equitable access to a sufficient, safe and nutritious
food supply to optimize health and
well-being and meet the food preferences of
all individuals. Food security, on the other
hand, primarily focuses on the availability,
affordability and accessibility of sufficient
amounts of food on a consistent basis.
Therefore, food security focuses mainly
on availability and access, while nutrition
security encompasses food security but emphasizes
the overall quality and nutritional
value of the food. Both concepts are interdependent
and necessary for ensuring the
overall health and well-being of individuals
and communities.
What is the role of children's hospitals in
nutrition security?
Children's hospitals provide vital health
services, including nutrition assessments,
nutrition education, and screening and intervention
for health-related social needs,
such as food insecurity. Pediatricians have
frequent contact with young children and
Kimberly G. Montez, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP,
specializes in food and nutrition insecurity.
families given the number of well-child
visits during the first three years of life.
Therefore, they are positioned to screen
and intervene during the first 1,000 days
of life when optimal nutrition is critical
for healthy neurodevelopment and lifelong
mental health.
What are ways pediatric practices can
address food needs?
Pediatric practices can start screening
and intervening for food insecurity. The
AAP/FRAC Toolkit provides an excellent
guide for how to get started and what
steps to take. The webinar provides specific
examples of how practices can address
families' food needs, including onsite food
provision and direct referrals to the federal
nutrition programs.
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Spring 2023
31
http://www.childrenshospitals.org/nutrition http://www.childrenshospitals.org/nutrition http://www.frac.org/aaptoolkit
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2023
